Love is a Lie
by Monkey Sprite
Summary: [AU]Independant feminist Sango has to go to Tokyo for Kagome's wedding. And everyone there is anxious to meet the boyfriend whom Sango said she's seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires the charming male escort Miroku to act as her boyfriend.
1. Welling's Escort Service

Title: Love is a Lie

Summary: Sango, an independant feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend.

* * *

Sango looked nervously at her watch while she sat on the barstool in her apartment kitchen. Her hands quivered as she held the short glass of liquor in her hand, realizing the she only had two hours before she needed to leave for the airport. There wasn't enough alcohol in the world to soothe her nerves right now. Nonetheless, she took another gulp of her Jack Daniel's and hoped that it would calm her. Feeling the burning sensation in her throat made her want to gag but she endured it all the same. 

Her old friend Kagome had called just weeks before to inform her of tremendous news.

"Inuyasha and I are getting married, Sango!" she squealed over the phone. So much so that Sango had to pull the phone away from her ear for a moment to stand the volume.

"Oh my god, you're getting married!" she replied in surprise. "Oh my god!"

Kagome and Inuyasha had been high school sweethearts, dating since back when the three of them were all teenagers. It had been Kagome's dream since they started dating that they get married in the Higurashi family shrine. She had originally wanted her grandfather to marry them, but not only had he passed away just a few years ago but he wouldn't have legally been allowed to do that anyway. Now Kagome was having her girlhood wish granted and even her silence was oozing with joy.

"I know!" Kagome shrieked. Then with a tinge of nervousness in her voice she said, "We're having the wedding at the end of August. Holy shit, it feels so close!"

"It is. That's barely six weeks away!" Sango commented. "How come you never told me sooner?"

"No offense Sango, but you never were exactly the type who would get excited about this right away. You weren't even that happy when Inuyasha and I started dating. Not only that, do you know how expensive this phone call is costing me? Calling you in California ain't cheep, you know?" Kagome said playfully.

Kagome meant it as only teasing, but Sango took the comment about how she would normally react as a bit of a harsh blow. Sure, Sango wasn't exactly the most romantic woman who ever lived, but she still would have liked to know this kind of news right away. Although, she wouldn't have been jumping up and down screaming with delight like Kagome probably would. Sango never really got that excited about love.

"So if you weren't coming to me to gush, what is it that you want?" asked Sango a little peevishly.

"Why else? I want you to come to the wedding!"

"…Wh-what?" Sango stuttered after a short pause.

"I want you to come to Tokyo to be my maid of honor in the wedding!"

"Kagome," Sango began. "I can't just pack up and leave for days at a time. I have a job at the office that requires a lot of my time. I couldn't take more than three days off. And besides, I really need the money. I'm sorry, but I really can't."

This, of course, was slightly a lie. Sango did have an important position as vice president at her company that demanded nearly all of her time and effort to manage. However, she was doing quite well for herself and could have afforded a week or two off from work. She realized afterwards that she probably needed it. Despite all that, Sango was willing to say anything if it meant she didn't have to return home.

"Don't you get two weeks vacation or something like that? Can't you use that now?" Kagome pleaded. "I get married once in my whole life… hopefully. But I want you to be there. You were there when it all started and I want you to be here now. It would mean a whole lot to me if I could have you here for this, like old times. Not to mention that I'm going **insane** with things to worry about and I wouldn't mind if you came here and helped me with a few last minute details."

"How am I supposed to help?"

"You're Super Business Woman. You'll find a way for things to run smoothly," Kagome said with the deepest feeling of assurance. "And this would be a great excuse for you to bring your boyfriend along for some relaxation time together. Maybe I'll finally get o meet this mystery man. You guys are still going out, right?"

Sango froze instantly at the mention of her so-called "boyfriend." Her made-up boyfriend whom she came up with to shake off those lectures from her family about waiting too long to get married, or the questions from friends about why she didn't have a relationship yet. She kept his profile very simple: They had met at the office right before he relocated to another company building across town. They went out occasionally but Sango claimed that they weren't that serious so she wasn't going to tell more than that. His name was never mentioned and he was simply referred to as "the boyfriend." Sango, being a private kind of person, wasn't acting at all out of character when she wouldn't tell much. Still, the thought of Sango having a man in her life was enough to silence the love advice and probing questions coming from friends and family. Sango supposed that they were just waiting for her to come around and tell them everything eventually, like she always did.

But now that this boyfriend subject had surfaced, it was inevitable that Kagome would invite him as well. Not to mention that Sango's loved ones were probably getting sick of knowing practically nothing about him for almost six months.

"My boyfriend?" Sango repeated shakily. "He might not be able to tear himself away from work. Besides, I'm not going to make him pay for a trip to Japan to go the wedding of someone he doesn't even know. Seems a bit rude, don't you think?"

"Not a problem. I was going to offer to pay for your trip anyway. And you could stay in your parents' house while you were visiting," Kagome suggested. "That should work out, right?"

"Sure, I guess I could stomach my parents for a little while."

"Great! Now, I just need to arrange the plane tickets for you two."

"Who said I was bringing my boyfriend?" Sango interrupted.

"Well, I assumed that since money and a place to stay were covered, then he should be able to get out of work just as easily as you. So what's the problem?" said Kagome in innocent confusion.

"Just… just plan on one ticket for now. I'll let you know if I'll need another one," said Sango, trying to sound like she was being polite rather than refusing.

"Whatever works. I sent you a formal invitation some time ago so you should be getting it soon. I added some extra information for you since it's been so long since you left for the states. Call me later if you need to. Or want to, for that matter. Sayonara."

"Sayonara."

Now here Sango was, just hours before her flight to Japan and was coming unglued with the nerve-racking thought that she was coming back home. She held the lacey wedding invitation and turned it over in her hand to study it.

_To Sango Taijiya and Guest,  
__You are cordially invited to the wedding of:  
__Inuyasha Taisho and Kagome Higurashi  
__On August 27, 2006  
__Formal attire is required  
__Please RSVP by July 1, 2006_

Sango chuckled when she read the RSVP date. The invitation must have taken longer than expected to get here so it didn't arrive until the end of July.

"Back to Mom and Dad, and Kohaku," she mumbled to herself. Her little brother Kohaku she would have loved to see, if it weren't that her parents would be there too. During high school and college, there was a wide rift between Sango and her parents. They never fought or yelled, but there was the way they spoke between the lines that made even a compliment have a snide remark laced in with it. Then Sango pitifully said, "I _hope_ I can stomach my parents for that long."

Autumn, her friend and roommate, walked in just to see Sango toss down the rest of the drink in her mouth then pound the glass onto the bar-like counter with a resounding "clang."

"Sango, I've never seen you drink so much before. How bad can this trip possibly be?" she asked as she leaned against the counter across from her friend.

"It's been six years since I've been home. I wish I could have stayed away longer," Sango answered sluggishly.

"Well don't drink yourself silly," Autumn commanded and then took the bottle of alcohol off the counter and put it away. "I thought you said you had some great memories from when you were back in Tokyo."

"I did. But there were enough bad ones to make me want to leave. The moment I was offered the job here in LA, I jumped at the chance to… to escape. You don't know my family like I do, Autumn. They're fine on the outside and they're polite when you first meet them, but my mother and father weren't the kind of parents who encouraged you with what you were doing, you know?" Sango said. She was just slightly inebriated but not enough to make her drunk. Still, she rambled on about how much she hated visiting her family and didn't even seem to notice the time.

Fortunately, Autumn glanced over to realize that it was about that time to leave for the airport. When she looked back over to her brunette friend, she demanded that Sango go back into the bathroom and fix herself up.

"You look like you just rolled out of bed… in a suit," she said laughing. "Fix your make up and your hair but splash some cold water on your face to sober you up a little first. I don't want you missing your flight because you're tipsy."

"Well **I** wouldn't mind missing it because I was tipsy."

"Just hurry up and then we'll go." Autumn quickly grabbed her car keys

"Thanks for taking me to the airport," Sango called from the bathroom.

"Not a problem. I just wish you were a little more willing."

"I'm just anxious about what's going to happen when I get there."

"What's that supposed to mean? That's not going to chop you up and eat you," Autumn said jokingly.

"No, it's not that," Sango said. She cupped her hands under the running water of the faucet, shivering for the first moment at how cold it was, and then brought it up to her face. She did this another time before answering. "Everyone there is going to want to meet 'the boyfriend.'"

"What boyfriend?"

"I told them all that I'd been seeing a co-worker for a while and Kagome's asked that I bring him with me."

"What are you going to tell them when you show up alone?" Autumn asked as she stepped into the open doorway to the bathroom. It was so late at night that even her blonde, curly hair was starting to frizz from her hectic day.

Sango looked up into the mirror and watched the water drip down her face and back into the sink then answered, "I'm not sure. I'll just have to tell them he couldn't make it."

"That's so lame. Eventually they're going to figure it out that you've been spewing lies about this guy you're supposed to be dating."

"What else am I supposed to do? I can't materialize a man between now and the plane trip and there's no one I can bring to pretend to be my boyfriend."

There was a short silence between the two as Sango dried off her face and starting applying her make up again.

Autumn thought in the back of her mind about the time her sister had a male escort to her senior prom. The girl wasn't exactly very popular with guys at the time. He drove her there, danced with her, and did everything a date was supposed to do. Of course she had to pay him, but it was worth all the fun she had that night. With a sly smile, Autumn suggested it.

"What?" Sango exclaimed as she almost poked herself in the eye with her mascara wand. "I'm not going to hire someone to help me lie. I can do it myself for free."

"Sango, if you want to make everyone believe that you're not a total phony then you'll have to work a little. I know of this agency that can lend you a guy for a while and he'll do whatever you want. My sister had one and it worked out great!"

"Autumn, it's like hiring a hooker. Yes, they'll do whatever you want for the right price but how demeaning that would be for me. Maybe I'll just tell everyone we broke up."

"Right before you came? Doesn't that seem a little _convenient_?" Autumn pointed out. Sango smacked her lips together as she finished her lipstick and knew that she was right. It was just a little suspicious that right before he came to meet everyone, he disappeared from Sango's life. Someone would be smart enough to understand what as going on. And the last thing Sango wanted was to be humiliated in front of everyone by being called a liar. Not that she wasn't, though.

Sango sighed in frustration. "Why can't they accept that I don't need a man? I don't want a man!"

"The Japanese are people of tradition. You've told me this a thousand times before. They're always old-fashioned. And you being the man-hater that you are probably scares them. They probably think you're a lesbian, living in sin with your secret female lover."

"What! I'm not a lesbian!"

"Well then prove that to them. They mean well, I'm sure you know that."

"They probably do, but the cause doesn't justify the action."

"Just like you're need to please them doesn't justify you lying to them."

"God, you make me sound like such a bitch," Sango said irritably. Autumn shook her head and rolled her eyes before walking out of the bathroom.

"Just meet me in the car. I'll grab you're suitcase on my way out. We need to get going," she said.

For a few moments after Autumn left, Sango watched herself in the mirror as she gathered her hair up to put it into a loose ponytail. Here she was, a successful, twenty-eight year-old woman with everything she'd ever wanted. Things were going perfectly, even without a relationship. Then when she looked a little closer, she saw a liar who ignores her family and turned her back on everything she'd been taught growing up. And if she turned up at the wedding without a boyfriend, that's how everyone else would see her too.

"I can't let them down," she whispered. She marched out of the bathroom and carried her briefcase and laptop out the door to meet Autumn a few levels below in the parking lot.

* * *

The car ride there was practically silent apart from the sound of rain beating down on the windshield. Both of the women just stared straight ahead at the road and watched the flickering red lights of the cars in front of them through blurry vision. Traffic was bad and Sango was growing more and more anxious about missing her flight. Finally, she spoke. 

"Do you think we'll get there in time?" she asked fretfully. "I know I said I don't want to go, but I'd hate missing the flight and costing Kagome all that money for nothing."

"We'll make it. You might have to power walk to your gate, but you'll get there in time," answered Autumn.

Another silence followed and made the air in the car almost feel thick with uneasiness.

Sango shifted in her seat and pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She flipped it open and checked her messages incase someone had called. Of course, she hadn't expected a call but was just trying to find something to do. She knew she had to ask Autumn for the agency number but would feel a bit foolish for asking for the number just an hour or so after she so harshly rejected it. Sango was a person who highly valued her pride. To humble herself and show that she was wrong was proving a little difficult.

When they arrived at the airport, Autumn pulled the car up to the unloading area and turned to Sango to hug her goodbye. Her friend gladly returned it and jumped out of the car to pull her baggage out of the trunk before one of the security guards hurried them along. Just before she started walking inside, Sango dashed to the car and threw open the door.

"I need the number!" she cried with her eyes squeezed shut, expecting Autumn to take this chance to tell her off. The blonde gave a smug smile and pulled out a ripped off corner of paper with a 1-800 number written on it. Apparently she was expecting this to happen.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you," she said knowingly. Sango snatched it away and stowed it in her pin-stripe suit pocket. "Have a good flight. And call me later to tell me when you're return flight is coming in."

"I will," promised Sango with a smile. "Bye."

With that, Sango pushed the door shut and hurried inside with her bags. Thankfully, the eaves of the airport shielded her from the heavy rain as she entered.

After waiting very impatiently in line to grab her ticket and drop off her checked bags, she raced to her gate and prayed that they hadn't taken off yet. When she looked at her expensive silver watch she gasped and started running faster, not caring who was staring at her. She was already twenty minutes late.

At long last, she approached her gate and smiled with relief to see a group of people still waiting outside of it.

"They didn't leave yet," she breathed. It wasn't until she looked out the giant glass window that she realized how hard it was storming and reasoned that the flight was probably delayed because of weather. Silently thanking the grey storm clouds, she took a seat next to a slightly older man to wait. She was panting from her sprint to the gate and the man peeked over for a second and gave Sango a good look up and down. Noticing this, she fixed her jacket gave him an icy glare until he looked away.

"_I'm not a piece of meat,"_ she thought angrily. Sango knew she was attractive but still detested men who looked at her longingly.

Then she remembered the number stuffed in her pocket. She would need to call that soon.

She very politely stood up and asked the flight attendant in front of her gate how long the plane was to be delayed. The woman answered that it could be delayed up to another hour depending on how quickly the sky clears up.

"_Now would be a good time to call this agency up,"_ she thought. Flashing a quick smile and thanking the lady, Sango returned to her seat to find her cell phone. _"Better now than later. Let's get this over with."_

She strutted over to the restroom entrances where she could keep an eye on her carry-on bags and get out of earshot of most people. Even though she didn't know a single person there, she felt embarrassed about what she was going to do.

Carefully punching the numbers into her phone, her hands shook and her heart beat quickened with apprehensiveness. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Welling's Escort Service. This is Cynthia, how may I help you?"

Sango swallowed the knot in her throat and spoke. Putting on her business voice she replied, "Hello, Cynthia. My name is Sango Taijiya. I need a male escort for a wedding."

"Well, Ms. Taijiya, how long would you be needing him for?" said Cynthia in a very practiced voice. This sense of professionalism put Sango a little more at ease. She felt less like she was ordering a whore and more like she was making a business transaction.

"Approximately two weeks," Sango said coolly. Maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as she thought.

"My, that's a long time. And when would you like him to arrive?"

"As soon as possible. I'm taking a trip to Tokyo and I need to him meet me there."

"That can be arranged. It will cost extra, though."

"I don't care about the price."

"Wonderful! The only thing I'll need to you to do is visit our website and fill out the form online. Our website is just 'Welling Escorts .com.' After that, we'll have an employee of your specifications give you a call and you can have a short little phone interview with him. Sound alright?"

"Sounds fine. Thank you, Cynthia."

"My pleasure, ma'am. Goodbye."

Sango snapped her cell phone closed and smiled as she sighed with relief. Obviously this was not some shady, street-corner business. Everything was perfectly planned out and it took a huge weight off Sango's shoulders to know this agency was properly conducted.

When she returned to her seat, the man that was sitting next to her had moved and she was relatively alone.

"_I need to get this form done before I get to Japan,"_ she silently decided. With that in mind, she pulled out her laptop and powered it on.

* * *

Author's Note: How do you guys like it so far? It's been a long time since I wrote an Inuyasha fanfic so I'm a little rusty. And I know that this idea had probably been done to death, but Sango and Miroku are my favorite pairing and I jumped at the chance to write this when the idea came to mind. Review and tell me what you thought of it! -Monkey Sprite- 


	2. Home Again

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe

* * *

As her laptop slowly booted up, the tension building up in Sango's stomach started to ease. 

"_I just hope I can make this work,"_ she worried. _"But this guy better be one hell of an actor because if they find out he's not my real boyfriend then I'm roasting **his** ass for it."_

When her computer finally finished loading up, Sango slid her finger across the mouse square and clicked on the Internet Explorer icon. Instantly, the window popped up and she typed in the website.

"I feel like I'm getting a mail-order bride or something," she muttered under her breath, remembering how popular that used to be for desperate men to order their wives through the mail.

The home page of the site looked very profession and clean-cut and even Sango had to give them points for how well it was laid out. She clicked the "online form" choice that it gave and was redirected to a long page with question after question of things they needed to know about your specific escort. Sango's eyes widened in surprise as she scrolled down farther… and farther… and even farther until she finally reached the end.

"_This thing has to be like twenty-five pages!"_ she thought in amazement. _"At least… they're thorough."_

So she started with the very first group of questions. They were asking personal information like name, phone number, and credit card number. She filled this section out rather quickly and continued onto the next part. This continued part was all questions about crimes or illegal actions. To every one of these questions, she clicked the "no" checkbox. The third section was full of more basic things like where and when the employee would be needed, male or female, ect. Feeling very bored and a little bit annoyed, Sango filled this out as well. Although she did realize that two weeks seemed like an awful long time for hiring an escort. Technically, she should only need him one day: the wedding day. But Sango was determined to make their "relationship" look legit. She yawned a little and rested head on one hand while she lazily typed with the other.

"_I hope they don't use the entire shit load of pages for just this stuff,"_ thought Sango disdainfully.

Finally, she reached the "specifications" section. She skimmed it over before beginning. To make a long story short, they were basically asking "what is your ideal man?"

They began with outward appearance. They asked for everything from age to astrological sign. Sango was suddenly very glad that her plane was delayed for almost an hour, because she guessed that it might take half an hour just to finish everything on the form.

A bit taken back at the extreme detail, Sango took a moment to fully comprehend what she was reading. She filled in the following categories likes so:

Height: 6'1" (Sango was a tall woman who wanted an even taller man to accompany her)  
Weight: 160 or under  
Age: 25-29 (She wanted a man near her age, but not quite thirty. Thirty made him sound too old for her)  
Hair color: Dark  
Eye color: Blue  
Hair length: any  
Body type: athletic

Getting slightly more interested in filling this out, Sango let a smile creep across her face. It was like picking out her own special Ken doll! Unfortunately, the next couple questions weren't quite as fun as the first. They all had simpler answers unlike before.

Glasses: none  
Body piercings: none  
Tattoos: None  
Freckles: None  
Ethnicity: Any  
Religion: Any  
Astrological sign: Any

However, the next part was even more fun because they finally started asking about the personality of the man. There must have been over fifty different characteristics to chose from, each with a checkbox next to it. It was no wonder why the form was so long. Sango read down the list and clicked every trait that looked interesting.

Friendly  
Outgoing  
Funny  
Smart  
Athletic  
Good conversationalist  
Submissive  
Resourceful  
Good cook  
Witty  
Stylish  
Clean  
Manly  
Compassionate

One of the choices was "experienced" which Sango chose at first, assuming that it mean he was experienced with this escort job. It wasn't until a few moments later that she understood they could be meaning experienced in bed and she hastily took it off her list. She read over the choices twice just to make sure she picked every one she wanted and then continued onto the next page. The rest of the form was a contract stating that Welling's Escort Service was not liable for any accidents, injuries, or problems that might occur with the escort blah blah blah. The only thing different from any ordinary waver was that it added that "the customer is obligated to a certain level of secrecy, by avoiding mass distribution of Welling information or promoting it to a large number of people."

"That's strange," noted Sango quietly. "Why would they ask for it to be mostly secret? I would think they'd make a lot of money if they advertised themselves more."

It took a moment, but Sango managed to figure it out. The nature of the business is selling human company, probably in many different ways including sex. It could easily be mistaken (or found out) as like a professional prostitute distributor. So it truly was better that the company kept a low profile and just traveled around by word of mouth. That way, it was probably less likely to be investigated by the government. And for some reason, Sango didn't mind this at all. In fact, she took it as a blessing. It made her feel like these people understood the concept of a secret, and that was the kind of person she needed to help her right then.

At the end of the contract, Sango checked the box next to the "I accept these terms" and pressed enter. For a few moments, the window was blank as it processed and stored the information on the website. When it finally finished, a window popped up saying "Thank you for hiring from Welling's Escort Service. We will process your order form and contact you as soon as possible with escort options."

With a heavy sigh, Sango closed her laptop and powered it down. The deed was done and now all she needed to do was to wait for a response, and she estimated that it would take a few days to get a call. She thought the phone interview was a little excessive but through that, she would be able to determine if the guy was a complete moron or not. Her tensed muscles unwound once the hardest parts were over, and she was glad that the ordering process was virtually painless. She had half expected them to ask her all these things over the phone, making her feel like the person renting porn from the video store where they read out the name of the movie as they ring it up and alert everyone within earshot that you're renting something dirty.

She carefully returned the laptop to its cushioned bag and crossed her legs as she peered around the spacious room. She wasn't exactly sure when her flight was supposed to leave and it was so dark out that even though it had stopped raining, you couldn't tell if there were still clouds out. Expected to be there for another thirty minutes or so, Sango pulled out her iPod and listened to music while keeping an eye on the flight attendant incase she was trying to say something having to do with the flight.

As much as she tried to keep her eyes open, though, Sango was drifting off into sleep. It was almost midnight by that time and Sango was used to early mornings. So in turn, she was also used to early bed times. As she started to nod off, she tried to keep herself awake any way she could like cranking up the volume on her iPod, taking a short little walk, and even going to the women's bathroom to pat her neck with cold water (because splashing her face would ruin her make up once again). As she looked up into the mirror with sleepy eyes, she froze for a moment to observe her face. Shallow wrinkles had just begun to appear in the corners of the eyes and mouth, making her look much older than she ever remembered looking.

"I'm starting to look like my mother," she mumbled hoarsely. She played with her face a bit, stretching the skin around her eyes (making her look even more Japanese than she already did) and smoothing back the skin around her lips. _"How did the years sneak up on me?"_

It was then that she heard a faint voice over an intercom announcing that flight 368 to Tokyo was clear for take off. Wasting no time to get back, Sango didn't even remember to fix her tousled hair before she left. She returned to the gate then promptly picked up her briefcase and laptop carrier and got in line for the attendant to take her ticket.

* * *

The whole flight to Tokyo took sixteen hours (including one stop to change planes in some obscure airport) and Sango tried to sleep most of the time, hoping that keeping to a certain schedule would help soften the inevitable jet lag. Japan was eight hours behind Los Angeles and they left around one AM for a sixteen hour flight, making it just around nine AM that she arrived. Of course, Sango's attempt at getting some good sleep was all in vain because she was jarred from her light sleep whenever the plane hit even the slightest turbulence or someone was making too much noise. The whole trip, she was caught between half asleep and awake. Meaning that when she finally arrived in Japan, she was not only very disoriented and disgruntled, but she barely even remembered where she was because she wasn't conscious enough to think straight. When she shook her head sharply to wake herself up, she looked to her watch but it was still on California time and she found it no help. She had to wait until she stepped in the actual airport to see a correct clock. 

"Eleven twenty-seven," she repeated sleepily when she found the clock on Tokyo time. Too tired to synchronize her watch with the right time, she just stumbled on ahead to baggage claim.

She waited patiently at the merry-go-round of bags, noticing that most of the bags and suitcases were well worn and almost looked dirty. They seemed to have been through a lot of trips and they made Sango's prim, leather suitcase look like art in comparison. Quickly snatching it up as it came around, Sango pulled up the handle and rolled it out of the airport. When she reached the loading and unloading zones, she expected to maybe see a cab she could catch or a driver with her name on a card. Instead, there was none other than Kagome leaning against a car a ways down the line. Sango's face burst into a smile when she saw her and called out her name to get her attention. Instantly, Kagome looked over and screamed. Not just squealed, but screamed at the top of her lungs. Sango winced but kept scurrying over to her at the same quick pace with her suitcase trailing behind her. Kagome, on the other hand, was sprinting her way and when they met each other, she jumped and threw herself at Sango, wrapping her legs around her middle. Kagome never had much modesty in a skirt and it didn't surprise Sango when she realized that the younger girl was wearing a flowy knee-length skirt, probably exposing herself to the south side of the airport.

"I missed you!" she exclaimed. Sango, who was still holding all her luggage, could do nothing to hug back. Slightly embarrassed, she set her friend and her things down and hugged her again with a little less passion than Kagome.

"I'm so glad to see you," said Sango sincerely. Kagome had already popped and trunk of her tiny car and started helping Sango with her bags.

"I couldn't wait to see you so I decided I'd pick you up."

"You didn't have to do that. I could have ordered a taxi to take me," replied Sango as they loaded the last bag into the trunk.

"Ugh, not only would that be really rude, but I was too excited to wait anymore than I had to."

"Well thank you."

They piled in Kagome's car and took off down the road. The trip from the airport to the Taijiyas' had to have been over an hour but there was hardly a moment of silence during the car ride. It made Sango feel like a teenager again, just gabbing with her best friend. She hadn't realized how much she missed Kagome. They talked about the wedding, Inuyasha, the proposal, and everything else of the like.

Then, Kagome turned to Sango for a second and asked, "So where's that boyfriend of yours?"

Sango had expected this and was prepared with her excuse. She serenely explained, "He couldn't get out of work for another few days. He'll be here soon, though."

"Fantastic! I'm so excited to meet him! What's his name again?"

"_Damn it. I have to come up with a name now. What name, what name?"_ she thought frantically.

Before she had the chance to answer, Inuyasha came to her rescue. Out of no where, a flash of red and white crossed their vision and Inuyasha appeared on the car hood. Kagome screamed and swerved, knocking her fiancé off balance and sending him flying onto the sidewalk. The car's brakes screeched with a sudden stop and Kagome leaped out of the car to go to Inuyasha. Sango let out the breath she'd been holding and brushed her bangs out of her eyes just for them to fall back into place again.

"Safe for now," she whispered. She glanced over at Inuyasha, who had already say up and started fixing his red jacket and yelling at Kagome for trying to kill him. Grabbing a chunk of shock-white hair, Kagome shouted right back and the whole thing turned into a screaming war. Sango rolled her eyes, knowing that the whole thing would end with Kagome stomping away, fuming, and Inuyasha crossing his arms and holding his nose high in the air like he had done nothing wrong. It always did, even when they were in high school. They were always so predictable. It really was no wonder that it took them ten years of dating to finally get married. They could be impossible at times, but they were so in love with each other.

Kagome gave him one more strong tug on his hair and then stormed back to the car with a look of murder on her face. When she climbed back in her car, growling quietly, Sango was careful not to say a word until Kagome spoke first. However, she didn't speak before they reached Sango's childhood home. Just the sight of it made Sango's stomach churn uncomfortably. Then when Kagome squealed with excitement (at what, Sango wasn't entirely sure) they pulled into the short driveway in front of the Taijiya house.

Kagome turned to the older woman and smiled warmly, saying, "Isn't it nice to be back home? So many fond memories. Even I have great memories from this place."

Yes, Sango had memories. Obviously, though, she wasn't thinking of the fond ones at that moment. The Higurashi shrine held happy recollections for her, but not so much this place. She wordlessly stood out of the car and followed Kagome to the trunk. Not a moment later, Kohaku came tearing out of the front door to meet Sango. When Sango had left for the states, Kohaku had only been sixteen. Now, she was greeted by a much older, much manlier brother. And when she saw him, she dropped her bags and went to hug him. They both laughed and squeezed each other so tight they could barely breathe, and Sango felt happier in that moment than she'd felt in a long, long time. She smiled nostalgically while they embraced and felt overjoyed that she had decided to come back for a while.

They talked a bit, noticing each other's changed appearances, and chatted like siblings do about nothing in particular.

"Sango, you look like you're going to a business meeting," he said laughing. She smiled.

"My work keeps me dressing sharp all the time. It feels weird not wearing work clothes all the time now," she answered. "But look at you! You're already taller than me; not something I'm used to. I like that you kept your hair the same."

"Thanks. Hey, come on in. Mom and dad have been waiting for you too," he said impatiently. While slightly resisting at first, Sango followed her brother slowly into the house and totally forgot about Kagome, who was lugging in all three of Sango's bags.

"A little help?" she called from the car. When Sango and Kohaku had already gone in side, she gave an aggravated growl and awkwardly tried to walk to the front door.

* * *

"Sango!" said Mrs. Taijiya, with her arms stretched out to receive her daughter. Sango's mother was a loving woman with enough care and concern to fill the whole world of grumpy people up with love. Sometimes, though, she was so sweet you felt like you were choking. Usually **she** was the one ragging on Sango about her lack of love life. 

"Nice to see you, mom," Sango said with a small smile. Unlike her previous two welcomes, this one wasn't as bursting with excitement and it was a little bit anti-climactic, in fact. The hug was half-hearted and the words were sparse, leaving Sango to feel like her parents weren't exactly overjoyed to have her home again. They probably remembered as much as she did how difficult things sometimes had been.

"It's been way too long, dear," her mom said, patting her arm affectionately. Then she mentioned, "Your father is in the kitchen. I'm sure he'd like to hear that you've arrived."

"Alright. I'll go see him," she agreed. She secretly hoped that her father had left the kitchen, because Sango was ready to welcome any sort of an excuse to prolong the inevitable.

He was a slightly stern looking man with a bearded face and chocolate brown hair like Sango and Kohaku. With his increasing age, his face began to look more and more like he was frowning all the time. She supposed that the years must have been unkind to him and made him look gruffer and coarser than he truly was.

When she finally gathered up enough courage to slide open the door to the kitchen, she was surprised to see her father bending down in front of the partially opened oven as he peered intently at whatever was inside. Mrs. Taijiya was usually the one to cook anything for the family and it was odd to see her father having anything to do with preparing food. Curious as to what he was doing, Sango tapped him on the back lightly and he instantly reacted. He snapped into an upright position and spun around like a burglar had just tapped him instead of his daughter. Just as he was about to yell something in his surprise, he stopped short and his features softened slightly when he understood who it was.

"Sango. Didn't think you'd be able to make it," he said, making it sound like he thought she'd chicken out.

"Nope, I made it. I just got in from my flight an hour or so ago," answered Sango. "What are you doing standing in front of the oven?"

"I... um... nothing," he stuttered and then tried to switch to a different subject. "Where are your bags? Aren't you staying for a few weeks? Or are you planning to wear that suit everyday?"

Sango gasped and remembered that she'd left Kagome outside with her stuff. It might have only been three bags, but they were three very heavy bags. She rushed out of the kitchen and stopped in the living room where Kagome sat panting and chatting with Sango's mother politely. As Sango entered she received a quick glare from Kagome.

"Do you bring _bricks_ on your trips or what?" hissed Kagome.

"Sorry," muttered Sango and furrowed her eyebrows together to show Kagome that she really did feel bad about it.

"Well, it gave me a good work out, if nothing else. I seriously wonder how you manage to move those things!"

Sango chuckled and Kagome's furry dissolved into good-natured teasing. That was always one plus about Kagome, she was too moody sometimes to stay mad for very long. Next, Sango went on to tell her that she practiced martial arts while she lived in California just like she did when she was living in Japan.

"They can DO martial arts in America? Seriously?" she asked incredulously.

"Martial arts are an eastern practice, but people in the west love it too. Although, I have to admit that the Americans will never be able to do it like the east does it," said Sango with a smug smile.

"Because we're **hardcore**!" Kagome said, screaming the "hardcore" and pretending to flex her muscles. Sango erupted into laughter, finding it humorous that Kagome, a complete powder puff, would say something like that. Sango's mother, who had been sitting silently this whole time, was less than amused and announced that she was going to go help Mr. Taijiya in the kitchen.

While Kagome and Sango were doubling over with laughter, Kohaku came in from another room and alerted them that Sango's room was ready for her to move her things into.

"My old room?" she asked unsurely. "It hasn't turned into a sewing room or anything?"

"No, mom and dad were having me stay in there for a while and I sort of... it got a little messy," Kohaku confessed. "I was just staying until you got here so I'm going back to my own apartment now."

"No, no! Can't you ...stay?" Sango begged, grabbing him by the arm. Kohaku laughed, knowing exactly why she was pleading with him.

"Sango, mom and dad aren't going to kill you, or tell you that you fail at life. They're different. You'll see," he assured her, patting her shoulder.

"Mom and dad are so old that they will never change. Once you reach that age limit then they don't learn new things, they just start forgetting old things."

"Goodbye, Sango."

She whimpered as Kohaku slung a small bag over his shoulder and strutted out. Kagome stood up and took Sango's hand saying, "Let's get you in you're room. I bet you're exhausted."

Truthfully, she hadn't been feeling tired at all, what with all the adrenaline and excitement she'd been experiencing ever since she got out of the airport. However, the second that sleep was mentioned, Sango's limbs felt like lead and her eyes were barely staying open. She sleepily agreed and Kagome laughed and picked up Sango's briefcase and laptop.

"You get the heaviest thing," she said, totally unashamed. Sango nodded before pulling up the handle to roll the bag out. Kagome's eyes shot open and she cried, "You can roll that thing?"

* * *

Once everyone was gone and Sango was alone in her room, she flopped on her old queen sized bed fully clothed and groaned in happiness. 

"Sleep... sleep," she rambled. Not bothering to change out of her suit, she crawled underneath the covers of her bed, still decorated like it was in high school. When glorious sleep finally took her, she rested with a smile on her face.

In her deep and dreamless sleep, Sango felt like for the first time in weeks that she wasn't being rushed or stressed. Things were slow, smooth and she was able to sleep for the rest of the day.

Then…

It couldn't have been later than 5 o'clock in the morning when her mother burst in the door wearing her nightgown and holding Sango's cell phone in her hand as it rang with its shrill ring tone. Caught completely off guard, Sango awoke with a start and fell off the bed with a loud "thud."

"Sango? Is this yours?" asked Mrs. Taijiya with one hand in her ear. Kagome must have let it fall out of the bags earlier. Sango leaped up and snatched it away from her mother and glanced at the caller ID, not really caring who it was because she was planning on ignoring it anyway. The number, however, was an unknown 1-800 call.

_"It must be the escort,"_ she thought. _"Why is he calling now?"_

She shooed her mother out of her room and picked up the phone at the last minute, frantically reciting her name instead of saying hello while still completely disoriented.

"Ms. Taijiya?" a deep male voice said from the other end. Sango sat down on her bed and started fixing her hair as if he could see her, but made herself stop fretting so much.

"Yes, who's this?"

"My name is Miroku Houshi. I work for Welling's Escort Service."

* * *

Author's note: There we go, chapter two. We're practically to where the good part begins. Hopefully you guys aren't getting bored already but if you are, then all you have to do is wait for chapter three and thing will get more interesting. 

**EmeraldBats**: Glad you're liking it! Yeah, Sango and Miroku are the BEST.

**Setsuna-ka**: Thank you so much. For once in a really long time I got a review that seemed like there was thought put init. You made me think I was really doing something right. : )

**Demon Exterminator Barbie**: No no! lol. She couldn't have got all that done before the flight. But the agency is prompt enough to give her a call the very next day, as you can obviously see. They probably aren't swamped with calls, being kind of underground like they are.

**EnchantressRai**: I'm trying to make it as funny as I can but the real humor comes in once our dear Miroku is introduced. I'm telling you guys, it get's so much better in later chapters. So if you like it know, I'm really excited to see how much you'll like later stuff.

**RedRogue**: Wow, I'm impressed that you figured out my inspiration so quickly. Although I really shouldn't be because it's kind of obvious. Anyway, I'm trying really hard to make this thing as original as possible so it's going to be very different from the movie. It wouldn't be worth reading if it was exactly like the movie. It'll be less drama, more comedy. You'll see. I hope you like it. All of you!


	3. Invading Your Personal Bubble

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe

* * *

Here it was; the phone interview she'd been waiting for. Sango sat up straight and cleared her throat before repeating his name. "Miroku?"

"Yes, that's right. You called the agency the other day?"

"Yes, yes! I just didn't think they'd answer so… quickly," said Sango, searching for the proper word. She was still wondering why she was getting this call at such an ungodly hour. She looked at her watch, which was still on Pacific Time, and noticed that in California it was almost eleven in the morning. She cursed the time change and promised her tired eyes that she'd let them rest again after this phone call.

"One of the advantages of being a small business is a quick reply. Anyway, after you filled out the form online they selected me as the first choice for your escort. Anything that you'd like to know, you can ask about it now."

"Well, ok. First, tell me how much experience you have in this job," Sango started, crossing her legs as she was accustomed to doing while giving an interview.

"I've been with Welling's for over seven years now and I've entertained over three hundred customers."

"Impressive, I must say," replied Sango in mild astonishment. "And how many good reports have they given to the company?"

"I've never had an unsatisfied customer," Miroku promised. The order of words sounded a bit cruder that he had planned but only to someone with a dirty mind. Sango didn't even notice. She was in business mode.

"Are you a good actor?"

"I've been doing this job for so long that you'll never know when I'm telling the truth," joked Miroku, but Sango didn't exactly feel assured by this comment.

Then the thought came to Sango's mind that most people who hire an escort are just people who can explain "This is my date for the night." Sango was dealing with a different sort of situation where the escort needed to be… someone she was supposed to be intimate with. She thought it would only be fair to ask him if that was alright. He had feelings too, after all, and she didn't want to throw him into this without giving him a warning.

A long silence followed her last question and Miroku asked in a concerned tone, "Is everything alright?"

"Well, um… there's just... uh…there's just one more thing," Sango stumbled, trying to sound like an intelligent individual while failing dreadfully. _"Come on, Sango! It's not like you haven't given a hundred interviews for jobs at work. Why should this be any different? It started out fine, just keep it up."_

"Ask away."

"You see, my family and some friends think that I've been seeing a guy from my work for about six months now and the only reason I need an escort is to convince them that it's true, so I need a guy who'll be able to act like we've been going out and that we like each other while not making it look silly. The thing I'm trying to ask is… would you mind pretending to be my boyfriend instead of just an escort?" she rambled and then lowered her voice at the end, feeling like she was asking the man to go steady with her after knowing him for a full seven minutes.

Miroku chuckled and at first, Sango thought he was making fun of her. She huffed crossly and waited for his answer.

"We do that all the time, Sango. That's the nature of our business," replied Miroku cheerfully. Sango let out a deep breath and smiled.

"Ok then. So you won't have a problem with the lying about us being in a relationship?"

"As I said, Sango, that's what we do in this business. Do you think rich wives call us when they're husbands can take them to a party? No, it's for people just like **you** who just need someone like **me** to be the 'boyfriend' or 'husband.' Don't feel embarrassed or think you're the first person to ask me something like this. You can relax," he assured and it made Sango feel a great deal better, but it made him sound a little conceited in the process. Then Miroku continued with, "That being said, I have a question for you."

"What is it?" replied Sango, noticing the suit she was still wearing. She started removing the jacket as best she could while still holding the cell phone up to her ear.

"How believable do you want this to be? Six months seems like a pretty respectable amount of time for a couple, and public displays of affection are usually normal and often."

Sango halted what she was doing and her eyes grew wide. "What exactly are you trying to ask me, Mr. Houshi?"

"Actually, I'm not asking you so much as telling you that we'll need to be affectionate to one another to make this look real."

"Well, I think for both our sakes we should maybe stay away from the whole physical showing affection... stuff," she stammered anxiously. Desperate to avert this ordeal, Sango was racking her brain with reasons why physical contact like that wasn't required. She came up with nothing.

"Trust me; I know how a woman in love acts no matter what her personality is. So either we make this look genuine with your cooperation, or we can make this look forced when you're resisting my affections. Either way, you're going to have to get over your personal bubble being invaded while I'm there, my dear," said Miroku bluntly.

"Whoa, buddy! What kind of 'invasions' are we talking about here?" exclaimed the very uneasy woman.

"It doesn't much matter to me. I'm comfortable with anything. Kissing, hugging, holding hands, fucking-"

"**Stop right there!** Let me make this perfectly clear, Miroku Houshi, I am not paying my damn good money for sex, alright? I am paying for a performance in front of these wedding guests. That is all. And don't tell me how I should act. I know what I'm doing, and since I'm paying you then you better do as I say! Are we clear?"

"We're clear, Ms. Sango," Miroku said back with a sly smile evident in his voice. "Speaking of money, I hope you're ready to pay my very high price. I **am** the best in the business, after all."

"I don't have a problem with the price. I can pay what ever you cost, but you better be a good liar because I won't pay you a cent if I get found out."

"Don't despair, my dear. I've never exposed a client. And with your _generous_ outflow then you've even less chance."

"I'd better have no chance," boiled Sango, her attitude displaying her evident anger.

"You knew what I meant," said Miroku. "They've already booked me a flight to Tokyo leaving tomorrow afternoon and I plan on meeting with you at the Tokyo airport at… ten p.m."

"Whatever," said Sango in a bored tone, still too tired to care about manners. _"Why did they book him a flight already? I hadn't approved him yet! ... Whatever. This interview was such a waste of time."_

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me before this interview is over, my dear?" Miroku checked.

"Yeah, there is one more thing," said Sango. "Would you stop referring to me as 'my dear'? It's annoying."

"Whatever you say, lovely."

"Stop it. I mean it."

* * *

Nearing eleven-thirty in the morning, Sango finally rose from her bed and walked out of her room clad in her "pajamas", which consisted of sweat pants and a the wrinkles dress shirt she'd worn with her suit. When she emerged, her nose was assaulted with an assortment of interesting smells, some good and some awful. Curious as to what they were, she ventured into the kitchen to see her father leaning over the stove.

"So, Betty Baker, what are we making now?" she said sarcastically. Like before, Mr. Taijiya jumped and nervously looked around and saw Sango standing there and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Sango!" he exclaimed. "Perfect timing. I made breakfast for you."

"…What?"

He picked up a plate that was already prepared from the counter and turned to face Sango with an unsure smile. He pointed to each item on the plate and named them as, "Tamagoyaki, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, and rice. I've been working on it since yesterday." (_(See Author's Note))_

"Th-that's what you were making?" said Sango cringing. A Japanese style breakfast wasn't quite she had been hoping for but she took the plate with gratitude and kneeled down at the traditional Japanese table. She winced when she looked down at her food, remembering that her father hadn't been the best cook for as long as she could remember, unless it was cooking meat. The fish looked fine but the miso soup and pickles looked a little less than appetizing. Nonetheless, she started eating because her dad was watching her intently to see her reaction. She picked up the chopsticks and took a piece of fish off her plate then popped it into her mouth. Just as she had expected, it was delicious.

"Arigatou," she mumbled with food still in her mouth. He seemed pleased enough with just one bite and went back to the stove and moved all the pots, pans, and plate into the sink. He had sure made quite a mess just making Sango breakfast.

"_But… why did he make me breakfast?"_ pondered Sango as she twirled her chopsticks and chewed her food. Even in the U.S. she'd eat meals with chopsticks just for fun so she was never out of practice with them. She took a piece of the tamagoyaki omelet and ate it, slightly scrunching her nose because of the taste. It wasn't_ horrible_, but it wasn't good either.

Something was strange about her father. Normally, he was sarcastic, obnoxious, and maybe even funny sometimes. But at that moment, he seemed so... timid. As if he was unsure if Sango would pull a knife on him or something. He never made her breakfast when she was younger unless it was her birthday or she was getting ready for something big at school. It was an extremely rare occasion and it almost made Sango nervous. She almost felt like he was going to turn around and ask her to do something for him "to be fair." That used to be his favorite phrase when she was younger.

_"Dad! I tried! I've gone out and applied at over fifteen different places and they all said I was just too young!" _

_"You're just not doing it right, Sango. We'll just have you try again."_

_"Why would I do that and set myself up for rejection?"_

_"Because it's time you started pulling your own weight. The free ride is over."_

_"I'm only fifteen, Dad! And I have school to worry about."_

_"Your mother was fourteen when she got her first job."_

_"Mom already told me that I don't need to get one until I'm seventeen."_

_"Do you have any idea how much money you eat up?"_

_"What?"_

_"You're old enough to at least help pay for your own expenses like school and spending money. So you either find a job or help me work at the exterminator's to be fair."_

_"To be fair? How is this fair?"_

_"You think you deserve too much, Sango. It's not good for a girl like you to be so spoiled."_

Just for a moment, Sango felt a twinge of that old feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. Worthlessness. That sense that nothing she was doing mattered anymore, because she didn't matter anymore. Not for long, though. Her "business confidence" took back her mind and kept it from drowning again. Numbness like that had been the only thing that kept her from being destroyed since she was fifteen years old.

_"What's changed his mind?"_ Sango pondered spitefully. _"Suddenly the free-loader is being given more than she deserves."_

The memory made Sango's mood turn sour, even the food in her mouth lost its taste. So she decided it would be better if she left as soon as possible. She managed to finish a respectable amount of the breakfast before claiming she was full and then getting up to leave. Her father didn't seem to mind that she hadn't eaten the whole thing and she was grateful that he didn't make her sit and finish it, as she half expected him to.

She took a shower and dressed in her usual formal attire then went outside to see her mother playing with their household cat, Kirara. The moment Kirara spotted Sango coming out, she abandoned the older woman and leaped into her real owner's arms.

"Kirara sure seems to have missed you," said Mrs. Taijiya as she laughed. Sango smiled and softly rubbed one of her beloved cat's ears. She mewled in delight and Sango's mom decided to go inside while her daughter played with Kirara.

When Sango was younger her dad had given her Kirara as present, and until Sango moved, they were inseparable. She would walk with Sango on the way to school and back and would cuddle with her at night while they slept. And despite Kirara being an animal, Sango knew that the little cat understood her when she spoke. Her parents claimed that she was just very intelligent, but that she didn't really know what was being spoken. Still, she knew Kirara was special. She always knew. The cat seemed to listen to Sango when she spoke and because of that, she was who Sango always confided in.

So she whispered to her little cat now about everything she was thinking, hoping that saying it would relieve her thoughts.

"I'm hiring an 'escort' to go with me to Kagome's wedding. I talked to him at some crazy hour this morning and he seemed qualified enough. I just hope that he's not some weirdo. I've met too many of those," she secretly murmured to Kirara. "I'll bring him to you and you can tell me what you think of him. Maybe you'll be able to tell better than me if he's worth the hell of a lot of money that I'm paying him."

Kirara purred and nuzzled Sango's face affectionately. Carefully placing the tiny cat on her shoulder, Sango went inside.

* * *

The day seemed to pass so slowly, as if there was nothing to do, no where to be, nothing to say. This was the type of lifestyle that Sango could get used to. This completely relaxed and unhurried way to go about the day. However, the clock was creeping up to ten o'clock and it was nearing the time for Miroku's plane to arrive.

Just as she walked outside, she realized, "…Oh yeah. I don't have a car. And there's no way I'm driving that crap wagon that mom and dad call a car. I wonder if Kagome will give me a ride."

When she called her friend, Kagome cheerfully agreed to take her to the airport to pick up her boyfriend, mostly so she could be the first one to meet him. Once they started heading for the airport, Sango rediscovered that the laid-back lifestyle she had been enjoying was only the effect of her small neighborhood, not all of Tokyo. Tokyo was constantly busy and moving, like and anthill where no one was left with nothing to do.

Kagome had to fight traffic on the way to the airport and even made Sango a little nervous with each sharp turn or swerve. It took them over an hour and a half to get to the airport but it didn't feel like long enough to her. Poor Miroku had probably been waiting for over and hour, but Sango was willing to delay this as much as possible. Unfortunately for her, the time finally came when they reached their destination and rolled up to the loading and unloading zone where a few people stood waiting for their own ride.

It wasn't until that moment that Sango realized that she and Miroku hadn't planned out any sort of way to find each other. She briefly thought about writing his name on a piece of paper like a driver would, hoping that he was still at the airport and didn't start walking somewhere out of boredom. That idea was quickly dismissed, though, because of Kagome standing right there. It would seem a _little_ odd that a girlfriend was holding up a sign to find her boyfriend, whom she should recognize on the spot.

"_How idiotic would that look,"_ thought Sango as she rolled her eyes.

She had never seen Miroku's face and he had never seen hers… so what were they supposed to do?

Then the light bulb flicked on and Sango brightened up. _"I got it!"_

Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted his name, assuming that if he was in earshot, that he'd hear it and come running. "Miroku! Miroku!"

Ironically, a man sitting on a bench not twenty feet away stood up and walked over to Sango. While she was preoccupied with trying to call for him, she didn't notice the arms circling around her middle. And the second she felt him hug her from behind, she yelped and stomped on some of his toes as an automatic defensive response.

"Ouch, Sango! That hurt!" exclaimed a vaguely familiar male voice. "Didn't you see me sitting right over there?"

When Sango spun around to see who the offender was, she almost gasped.

"_He's… beautiful,"_ she thought but answered lamely with, "No, I can't believe I overlooked you!"

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad to see you, Sango," said Miroku, looking all starry eyed like he hadn't seen his love in months. Sango resisted the urge to roll her eyes and gag. Then before she knew it, Miroku had cupped one hand around her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. Right away, a panic alarm went off in Sango's head and she immediately started pushing him away. He, however, held fast to her, wrapping one arm securely around her waist and pulling her closer. When Sango remembered that Kagome was still standing close by, probably watching this whole thing, she knew she had to go along with this so it looked right. So she reluctantly eased her taut muscles and tried her best to make this look like it wasn't the first time they'd kissed. And for a brief moment, Sango felt something pass through them. Something small and slightly hidden was conveyed through their kiss that Sango couldn't quite figure out. A split second passed where the kiss wasn't just lips pressed together, but it was over too quickly for Sango to understand.

When they finally broke apart, Kagome squealed with a sort of teenaged excitement that reminded Sango of the Kagome she'd always remembered. A blush spread across the older woman's cheeks and she tucked some chestnut hair behind her ear in embarrassment.

"You guys are so cute!" gushed Kagome. Then she came up to Miroku and stuck out her hand, saying, "I'm Kagome."

"Miroku Houshi. Nice to meet you," said Miroku as he grasped her hand and shook it amiably. "Are you the bride?"

"Yes, I am! Sango must have told you," exclaimed Kagome, blushing at the recognition.

"Indeed she did. I'd love to stand here and talk, but I've been standing for much too long."

"Oh! Of course. Let's put your luggage in the trunk and be on our way," directed Sango, and the other two complied. The sound of a security guard yelling and car horns honking urged them to hurry up and pull out. When the bags were in the back and Kagome got in the driver's seat to ready the car to leave, Sango tugged at Miroku's purple shirt tail.

"How did you know she was getting married?" inquired Sango softly.

Miroku leaned in closer to her and answered, "You called for an escort to a wedding. And it was just a wild guess that it was her. But she seemed giddy enough to be the bride."

"_Hm. Impressive,"_ Sango thought to herself with an approving smirk. Miroku tried to turn around again but Sango tugged on his shirt once more. This time when he turned to face her, she slapped him lightly on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked in a stunned astonishment.

"That was for kissing me, you bastard. You didn't even warn me," she whispered angrily.

"I gave you fair warning on the phone."

"Yeah right. Don't pull anything like that again."

Miroku brushed off her words and opened the back seat door to let her in. She glared at him icily and opened the door to the passenger seat and got in. When they both got inside, Kagome didn't ask any questions about the slap, probably assuming that it was none of her business and she didn't want to make Sango mad by asking about it. Somewhere between the commands of the security guard and the awkward silence that hung around them, they drove off towards Sango's childhood home.

* * *

After they waved goodbye to Kagome at the Taijiya house, Miroku picked up his bags and headed for the front door. Sango dashed in front of him and stopped him from walking inside. He looked at her in confusion for a moment but waited for her to explain herself.

"I just want to warn you," began Sango in a whisper. "My parents will politely rip you to shreds if you let them. Don't say anything stupid or vulgar and give them a reason to. And don't make my dad angry."

"How terrible could they possibly be, Sango?" Miroku joked light-heartedly. "I've met plenty of parents. This isn't going to be any different."

He gently pushed her aside and continued on to the door. Before he had a chance to grab the door knob, Sango slammed herself in front of the entrance and spread her arms out to block it. The demanding and almost frenzied look in her eye made Miroku wait another moment.

"Just make sure you sound professional. You know, business-like. Maybe then they won't automatically think you're an idiot like my last boyfriend."

"When did you last have a boyfriend?"

"College," answered Sango, wincing with a little embarrassment.

"Oh, I see! So it's been so long that this almost feels like a new experience for you!" said Miroku playfully. While he laughed at his own joke, Sango bonked him on the head.

"I'm serious! Ok? Proper. Composed. Business-like," she listed with a stern tone of voice. With each important word, she nodded her head sharply to emphasize her point.

"So… does that mean I don't have to be proper when we're _alone_?" he taunted her in a mock-seductive tone, leaning closer to her and causing her to brace herself against the door behind her. At first, she couldn't move. She was completely petrified and could only think to do was push herself harder and harder into the door, hoping that she might somehow escape him through the wood. The light hanging next to the door cast frightened shadows across her face and made her normally lovely face look distorted from fear. The darkness of night made him appear like a phantom, ready to devour her if she let him.

Out of instinct, she swiftly swung her hand up and connected it with his face with an echoing "_smack_!"

"Stay **away** from me, you psycho," she hissed menacingly. "And stop being such a lecher."

Miroku only laughed nervously as he rubbed the tender, red handprint on his left cheek.

"Well, if you change your mind, just remember it'll cost you more," informed Miroku.

"I told you before, don't worry about that. I find selling one's self for sex as morally repulsive," she said quickly, but when she looked up at Miroku she noticed a twinkle of hurt in his eye and she followed with a delayed apology.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing," he said, waving a hand of dismissal. He put on a smile and added, "Let's go meet these dragon parents of yours."

* * *

Author's Note: I just wanted to explain the whole Japanese breakfast. The _tamagoyaki_ is a "rolled omelet", nothing too complicated. Miso soup is just a lot of water with sesame oil, green onions, and mushrooms. Grilled fish is pretty self-explanatory. And the pickles are pickled vegetables, not really actual pickles. And once again, the rice is easy to figure out.

You know what inspires me? The delicious calamari from Olive Garden. I want some calamari. I had to re-do this chapter 2 or 3 times because I never got to eat any calamari. Meh. Yes, I blame my lack of talent on squid.

**Pegalia Von Borrador**: Yes, that was my goal. Me and my mates picked out jobs for each of the characters that seemed to suit them. And I always joked with them that Miroku would be a male hooker. lol :P

**Setsuna-ka**: The suspense if the only thing that keeps people reading! Just a question: was there too much dialogue and not enough descriptions in this chapter? I was worried that it was going too fast. What do you think?

**Demon Exterminator Barbie + kaloo**: I know, right? I would order a Miroku if I could. --wiggles eyebrows--

**Dark Darianna Minamino**: YAY! Glad you like it! It's fantastic to get fun reviews like yours. :)


	4. Schooling Sango

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe.

* * *

When Sango tentatively opened the door, she timidly called, "Mom? Dad? I'm back."

Unsure about whether or not they were awake, she didn't want to call too loudly and upset them. Both were like angry bears when they were awoken too early from their hibernation. She tip-toed in and made sure that the door didn't make a lot of noise because of their entry.

Miroku, who was feeling as confident as ever, sauntered into the living room where Sango's mother was sitting in a shabby armchair, wrapped up in a novel. She flicked her eyes up at Miroku for a split second as she swept a strand of hair from her eyes, then she returned to her book. She then followed it up with an incredulous double-take on the handsome young man standing before her and almost gasped.

"Who are you?" she exclaimed. The book was clutched to her chest like she thought he was a burglar.

Sango hurried into the room from the entryway and got there just in time to place a hand on Miroku's shoulder and silence anything he was planning to say for himself.

"His name is Miroku, Mom. He's my-" She swallowed hard. "-boyfriend."

"Oh!" she shrieked with joy. He mood shifted swiftly. "So here he is! Come here, Miroku. Sango, you never told me you got a Japanese boy."

"_She says it like he's not even in the room,"_ thought Sango with a roll of her eyes.

Miroku obediently did as he was told and came to stand in front of her. When he was there, the older woman unsteadily rose from the chair and firmly embraced Miroku. She was two heads shorter than him bit she was still hugged him with so much strength that it forced him to bend down to her. Well, maybe it wasn't her strength. Maybe he just wasn't putting up much of a fight.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Taijiya," he said politely. Sango was mildly impressed that he so easily remembered their last name. She had never actually said it so he must have memorized it when he was given the job. Still, it wasn't exactly a simple name. And he said it with such casualness that it sounded like he'd been saying it forever. Suddenly, she noticed was the hand that slithered discreetly around her middle. She tightened her muscles in discomfort as Miroku eased her close to him until she was leaning into his side. After several quiet deep breaths, she could calm herself down enough to loosen up her unwilling body. But not very much.

While this awkward event was happening, Mrs. Taijiya had turned around and called, "Sweetheart! Come in here and meet Sango's boyfriend."

Sango's eyes widened._ "Here it comes," _she thought in fright. _"Mom is easy but what about Dad?"_

A groan escaped from the next room, proclaiming the old man's lack of enthusiasm. No wonder, though. It was already much later than when Mr. and Mrs. Taijiya usually went to sleep. They had probably stayed up on purpose to see "the boyfriend" when he arrived. He took his sweet time coming into the living room. When he emerged dressed into a robe, Miroku took the initiative to extend his hand and introduce himself.

"Miroku Houshi, sir. It's nice to finally meet Sango's father," he said as she shook the man's hand. "She looks a lot like you."

"That's hardly a compliment," joked Mrs. Taijiya.

It was true, though. Sango had many of her dad's physical attributes. The coffee brown hair, solid body, and strong eyes were all his. His wife was the opposite. She had thin black hair and eyes so dark that they were almost black as well. She was petite and lithe, unlike her daughter. And her sweetly paled skin was an opposite contrast to Sango and her father's natural bronze hue. When Sango was a child, she used to wish that she looked more like her mother, more like a geisha. But her mother had always told her that it would have never suited her personality. She was much too strong a girl to look like that. Besides, she had always been daddy's little girl.

"So you're the young man who's been dating Sango?" her dad said gruffly.

"Yes, sir."

He squinted his eyes and gave Miroku a quick once over. "Not exactly what I expected."

"_Oh no! Here we go. He's going to go off and tell his all the things he doesn't like about him. Change the subject. Change the subject,"_ she thought frantically. "So, it's sort of late. Shouldn't we set up a place for Miroku to sleep?"

"What do you mean?" questioned her mother in sincere confusion.

"We have to make Miroku a bed or at least pull out a futon for him to sleep on," she said to her parents. She turned to Miroku and said, "My mother has a rule against a man and a woman sleeping in the same room unless there's a ring involved."

"Nonsense!" her mother interrupted.

Sango's eyes bulged and she turned to say, "But, Mom? What about your rule?" Her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to send her mom a message.

"Don't mind her, Miroku," said the woman with a chuckle. "My daughter thinks I'm so old-fashioned. The bed in your room is big enough for two people, Sango. That should be fine."

Mr. Taijiya cleared his throat like he was about to say something and object, but his wife shot him a warning glance which shut him up right away. He simply walked out of the room without a word to proceed with whatever he was doing before he was disturbed.

"I had Kohaku change the sheets before he left so they're fresh and clean."

"Arigatou, Mrs. Taijiya. I really appreciate you allowing me to stay here," thanked Miroku with a sincere-looking smile on his face. Sango was still standing next to Miroku, bug-eyed and shell-shocked.

"Our pleasure, darling," chirped Sango's mother. "It's very late. I'm going to head to bed. I'm just glad I got to meet you before I did. Goodnight, Sango, Miroku."

"Night, mom," came Sango's weak reply.

"Goodnight, ma'am," said Miroku next.

And there they were, standing alone in the living room with Miroku's suitcase and shoulder bag sitting patiently at their feet. For a moment, the only sound was the sliding and the tap of the traditional Japanese door leading to the master bedroom. Miroku and Sango did not speak for a long time. Sang was just too surprise so Miroku had to break the silence.

"Well that wasn't so bad, Sango," said Miroku, smiling cheerfully.

"My mother makes a good first impression but watch out for her later. And my dad was just too tired to drill you, I bet. You'll get the full blow tomorrow. Trust me," Sango assured him forebodingly.

"Well on that lovely note, shall we head to your room and get some sleep?"

"Yeah. Sleep would be good. I'm so tired," said Sango with half-lidded eyes.

* * *

They each picked up on piece of luggage and marched down the hall to Sango's bedroom half-heartedly. The door to her room had the tendency to stick and it took some force to open it. When Sango managed to pry it open, Miroku took a look inside before he entered. It looked normal enough; very simple, very plain. Exactly the kind of room he expected from Sango…

But not from a teenager. This had been her room in her high school days and there had to be more. Out of "little-brother" curiosity, he was determined to find something that reflected a gushing, giggly teenaged girl.

"_On the hunt,"_ he thought humorously.

Sango had already set down the shoulder bag by the foot of the bed and settled on the edge of her very comfy queen size. She leaned back and flopped onto the thick comforter with a sigh.

While Sango was preoccupied with relaxation, he skimmed over the room for anything that looked like a hiding place. The small closet seemed as good as any. When he stealthily opened the screen-like door, the first thing he saw was a giant poster of the Japanese rock star Gackt on the back wall, hearts drawn around it dreamily. He smiled triumphantly, thinking he found what he was looking for. Then he hit the real jackpot.

"This has been one weird day," mumbled Sango to no one in particular. "Hey Miroku, what are we going to do about this sleeping situation?"

There came no reply.

"Miroku?" The woman propped herself up on her elbows and scanned the room for Miroku. What she saw next terrified her and she screamed.

There was Miroku, digging through her dresser drawers. Since Sango's parents had always expected Sango to move back home, they kept her whole room ready to be lived in, including a dresser full of clothes. But more importantly, full of underwear. Miroku discovered this and was happily sifting through the different pairs of assorted panties.

"I like this polka-dot one, Sango. It's very springy and colorful," he said laughing. Sango immediately leaped from the bed and tackled Miroku, trying to wrestle the panties out of his hand.

"Put those back, you pervert!" she exclaimed angrily. She growled crossly as he held them just out of her reach. Miroku, on the other hand, was having a jolly good time teasing Sango with an obviously embarrassing piece of her teenaged life. She was strong but he knew he was stronger, and he was in no hurry to end this humiliation soon.

"Come on, Sango. They look cute!"

"I don't do cute!"

"Then how come you own them?"

"I bought them when I was fourteen. I never even wore them!"

They fought there on the floor for a moment more until Miroku decided to make it a little harder. He rolled over, taking Sango with him and switching positions where he was hovering over her and dangling the underwear just out of reach of her desperate fingers.

"Listen, man-" Sango snarled as she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down. But she never finished her sentence. She froze, realizing that position they were in.

"_How did I not notice this until now?"_ she thought in pure terror. Miroku, just inches from her face, was caught with one leg in between hers and his free hand holding one of her wrists to the floor. There was a thin sheen of sweat forming on both of their flushed faces. The big deep breaths that both of them were taking made this position that much more embarrassing.

She swiftly shoved him away from her as quickly as she could and punched him square in the jaw. Miroku seemed unaffected, only surprised. He did not react, just fixed the wrinkled collar from his deep purple dress shirt.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"What do you mean 'what'?" shot Sango, taking in sharp breaths. "You were right on top of me! You were practically violating me!"

"I never touched you inappropriately," Miroku said, still seeming a little out of the loop. He just didn't understand Sango's sudden burst of hostility.

"Just stay away from me!" she declared with a ferocious scowl. She stood up and crossed the room to sat back down on the bed and pout angrily. Miroku's curiosity was shifted.

"What is it with you and touch?" he probed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sango spat.

"Why are you so uncomfortable being in physical contact with another person? Even you and Kagome stayed a respectable distance away from each other and she's supposed to be your best friend."

"I never told you she was. How would you know?"

"I get these things without being told. But answer my question." Miroku spoke lightly but with a firm tone, letting Sango know that he was not trying to anger her further but he was also not going to let this subject drop.

"Is there a problem with needing space?"

"_You_ seem to need a continent," Miroku bantered, trying to lighten the mood. "You looked like you were in physical pain when I had my arm around you this evening in front of your parents. And I've come to realize that it's not just when you're in front of people that you don't like it. It's all the time. Why is that?"

"I… I guess I just like sticking with what I'm good at, ok?" she said defensively. She tried to give nothing away through her answer, just a simple reply of words. She didn't want him to figure out their true meaning.

Miroku hung his head and sighed, then noticed that he was still holding her polka-dot panties I his hand. He quickly threw them back in her opened underwear drawer and slammed it shut.

"You're only making this harder for yourself," he muttered quietly. Sango arched one eyebrow inquisitively.

"What are you saying?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm saying that our discussion about public displays of affection being vital to a convincing performance did nothing to you."

"Discussion? There was no 'discussion'. You simply stated that there would be invasion of my space. That was all," replied Sango.

"Then perhaps we need to have a real 'discussion' about it." His eyes were serious and his lips pressed into a thin line, showing his frustration.

"I don't want them. End of discussion," asserted Sango. Miroku sighed again and stood up. He slowly stepped closer to her spot on the end of the bed and placed his hands on his hips.

"Be more mature about this, Sango. I'm not asking you to do anything but be comfortable. I can take care of the rest."

"Comfortable?" Sango repeated hesitantly.

"Exactly. I don't need you to take the initiative at all. You just need to let things… flow," said Miroku with a fluid movement of his hand. "Besides, if you ever tried anything yourself, you'd make it too obvious that you weren't familiar with it."

"Pardon me?"

"Don't take this personally, but you act too inexperienced, too green," Miroku said frankly. Sango clenched her fists and Miroku re-worded himself. "What I mean is you don't make it look natural like a six-month relationship would be."

"And you can?"

Miroku didn't respond. For a moment, they were both motionless until Miroku suddenly grasped her hand gently and tugged her up into a standing position. She yelped but did nothing to stop him. A light blush crept across her cheeks and Miroku almost smiled. She was so inexperienced it was almost cute. His arms wrapped around her torso and pulled her tenderly into his chest, purposefully placing her head against his collarbone. For another moment, there was stillness. All Sango could manage was breathing. From the second her pulled her up, she's stood with a rigid posture that refused to go along with this obediently. However unwilling she was, she could not bring herself to push him away again… and she wasn't sure why.

Miroku exhaled sharply in exasperation and said, "See? You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"It's like holding a statue. Relax your body," he spoke softly, but not tenderly. This was clearly still business. His hands massaged her back delicately as he tried to coo her into a sense of security. "Stop pretending like I'm here to hurt you. I'm trying to help you."

Sango had to concentrate hard to find her voice again. "And a fine job you're doing. This is called sexual harassment."

"Only if the other party is unwilling," he retorted smartly with a grin. "Settle down. Stop tensing."

Sango gave an irritated groan and let her shoulders go limp.

"Your whole body, Sango. You don't have to turn into a rag doll. For the tenth time, just relax." It was obvious that Miroku was getting a little annoyed at her.

The question in Sango's mind was, _"Why should I have to do this? I'm the one paying this guy so I should be the one calling the shots."_

Still sensing her rebellion, Miroku tried to think of something else that might make her more comfortable.

"Pretend I'm your mother," he suggested off-handedly.

"With a tenor voice." Sango's tone oozed sarcasm.

"I'm not letting you go until you get used to me being this close to you." Miroku looked down at the defiant woman, plainly displaying his intention to be relentless. Sango growled, annoyed. She reasoned that now would be a good time to stop being difficult. With her eyes closed, she focused her breathing again. This time slower, more drawn out. The arms that were so tightly clamped against her sides slackened considerably. Gradually, her neck, back, and abdomen eased until her body naturally fell into a casual lean. As she leaned lightly into Miroku's chest, eyes still closed, she deeply inhaled the faint smell of cologne coming off his shirt.

"Good. Now do whatever comes naturally," encouraged Miroku. He was pleased with her progress.

Reluctantly, the brunette woman slowly placed her hands on his back. They lacked any sort of pressure, trying to alert Miroku that she didn't want them any closer. Resting his cheek on the top of Sango's head, Miroku smiled.

And then he winced.

"Stop trying to feel me up!" Sango's angry outburst was laced with a menacing threat. She pushed him roughly away from her and he crumpled to the floor, bending over in pain.

In their short moment, Miroku had taken his chance to give Sango's backside a nice squeeze. Instantly, Sango's knee had come flying into his groin.

A small groan left Miroku's lips as he rested his forehead on his knees, the intense pain surging through his whole body.

"That was cruel," he wailed. Sango snorted and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Serves you right." There was no remorse in her response. He looked up at her pitifully.

In a whimper, he said, "Why are you hell-bent on killing me?"

"Just stop doing this and I'll have no reason to get mad. Treat me like you would any other client."

"I don't treat you any differently. Stop trying to flatter yourself," Miroku spat. Using the bed for support, he shakily stood.

"Excuse me?" asked Sango in shock.

"Stop trying to make it sound like I'm coming onto you. I'm teaching you how to be physical, something you apparently never learned. I thought you had a boyfriend before. Didn't you get any practice on when you were going out with him?"

"That is none of your business."

"Sango," he began in a whisper, placing a hand on her shoulder. She swatted it away. "You know business. I know people. _No one_ is going to believe we're together if you keep acting like I'm the plague."

"If they didn't figure out that I was lying these past several months, then I'm sure that a little less contact won't clue them into our conspiracy." She spoke softly, but she was fierce. And her hardened eyes were building up with moisture. The surge of frustrating emotions always led Sango to tears; a humiliating tendency that she always disliked.

Miroku, who was almost as aggravated as Sango herself, groaned unconsciously.

"You are the first woman in my entire history of clients who had ever put up so much of a goddamn fight. Most women are begging for any sort of love they can get— even if it's a lie."

"I'm different. The reason I hired you in the first place is to make my family happy for these two weeks then to go home and be able to toss you aside. And since this is your type of business, I'm not hurting anyone."

There was a short silence where Miroku looked hard at Sango. His brow furrowed together in his thinking as he looked searchingly into her eyes. He had always been one who knew how to read people through their body language and their facial expressions. But here before him stood a woman who showed no signs of contradiction to what she said. She _looked_ as cold as she sounded. Her face was pulled tight into an unpleasant glare and her eyes were doors so tightly locked that not even Kami himself could have gotten past them, and into her heart.

She really was different.

What Miroku said next would have made Sango blush had she not been so infuriated by him at the moment.

"Why would a beautiful, successful, young woman need to hire someone to act as her boyfriend?"

"I already told you. I want this to look real for my prying relatives while still having the option to leave it all behind once this is over," she said bluntly. Never one for beating around the bush, Sango always got straight to what she was trying to say.

"That's not what I meant. My real question is why don't you have a _real_ boyfriend?" His eyes were empathetic and his mouth curved downward into a sad frown. Nonetheless, Sango watched him through cautious eyes. He was designed to be a liar. Why should she trust that he was truly interested?

"I don't want a man."

Eyes widening in shock, Miroku cringed. He took one step away from her and held a hand up near his face as if to ward off his fear.

"You're not a lesbian, are you?" he cried, the fright evident in his expression.

"No!" Sango yelled a bit too loudly. "It's nothing like that! Just shut the hell up and let's go to sleep."

"Alright then."

Sango rooted through her suitcase for a pair of modest pajamas. The best she could find was a casual t-shirt. She normally slept with just a shirt and a pair of underwear on. However, this was undoubtedly not the proper dress code now that Miroku, the sexual predator, was on the loose in her room. She'd have to use some old shorts for bottoms.

As she was walking to her dresser, a flash of purple crossed her vision. When she looked down, there was Miroku's shirt in a messy heap just a few feet away from her. She spun around fast and saw Miroku removing a thin, white undershirt next. She then wordlessly turned back around, her heart thumping uncharacteristically in her chest. All she'd seen was his chest, his perfectly chiseled and toned chest, and she was speechless.

Miroku, who noticed her stealing a look at him, smiled at the proof that she truly was a straight, heterosexual woman. She'd reacted to him. So she wasn't so terribly different from everyone else.

"Feel free to look. That's part of the package," he assured her smugly. Sango simply shook her head and tried to hide the overwhelming blush that encompassed her entire face.

She easily found shorts to sleep in and whipped them out hastily. A bathroom was connected to her bedroom, and the door was on the opposite end of the room. She turned, intending to head for the bathroom to change, when she heard a clicking sound and the hush of moving fabric. Miroku shamelessly slid off his pants.

Sango reflexively slapped a hand over her eyes, which were already screwed-shut before her hand reached them. Miroku chuckled, thoroughly amused. He'd never thought that making someone feel awkward would be so much fun.

Turning her back to him, Sango fumbled around the room to find the bathroom door while her eyes were still so tightly closed that her mascara was smearing all around them. A pair of hands fell upon her hips and smoothly guided her to her destination. She peeked through one squinted eye and saw where she was.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

"My pleasure," Miroku whispered into her ear, running his lips sensually along its edge. Surely he was toying with her now. She batted his away and tightly shut the door behind her. With her back against the door, she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

* * *

When she changed and emerged from the bathroom, Miroku was already in the bed lying motionless on his back. He looked asleep. She quickly realized he was wearing sweatpants and it made her feel much better to know he was properly clothed. There was something about Miroku that made it a very big possibility for him to want to sleep in the buff. It took all her self-control to keep herself from gawking at his naked chest again. The next thing she realized was that he was not under the covers how most people sleep.

"_All the better,"_ thought Sango. _"Less chance for us to touch during the night."_

The only light illuminating the room was the lamp on the nightstand located next to the bed. Apparently, Miroku had set up the lights so she could easily turn off the lights and not have to stumble around in the dark to find the bed. She climbed into the bed and scooted to the extreme edge, wanting so badly to get away from Miroku. She barely managed to turn off the light without falling off the side of the bed. She tilted her head just enough to get a good look at him without looking obvious.

"_He really is handsome,"_ she thought distractedly. _"I've never seen anyone like him before…"_

At that moment, a pair of violet eyes fixed on Sango's mahogany ones. It took her a second to realize that he was awake and looking at her as shamelessly as she was looking at him. The darkness made it hard to see anything at all, let alone two subtle eyes. She quickly shut her eyes to pretend she was sleeping, but he wasn't fooled.

"I apologize for earlier, Sango." His voice was as sincere as a whisper can be. "I shouldn't have done that."

She already knew that he was referring to that little squeeze in the butt.

She opened her eyes slowly and replied with, "I can't learn to get over my personal boundaries in one night. You have to break me in slowly."

"I'm only human, Sango. I can't help it sometimes. But I truly am sorry." His lips pressed into a hard line. He wasn't fooling around this time.

"I forgive you." The faint whispered voices rang clearly in the nearly silent room and Sango smiled warmly. He sounded truly sorry and there was no reason for her to bear him a grudge. Miroku gave a wide smile back.

"And might I add that you have one _fantastic_ ass?" he murmured, his grin growing bigger. Sango's smile dropped into a grimace and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No, you may not." Her calm tone was full of resentment.

"I'm serious. You put all women to shame."

"Not another word, Miroku."

Before either of them went to sleep, a wall of pillows found its way between them, separating them as best they could. And all night long, Sango still felt like he was too close to her.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm SO sorry to everyone who has been waiting anxiously for me to update! I don't usually take this long (my average output of chapters is normally about one week per chapter). But I've been going through a butt load of crap from my ex-boyfriend, getting a job, school starting, and my mom took me to the beach this past weekend. So that's why I haven't been particularly productive.

**kaloo**: --huge smile-- I'm _thrilled_ to hear that someone is so interested in my little fanfic. Just for that, I finished it a little earlier than I had planned. : )

**RedRogue**: Oh, you'll see how much he enjoys this for everyone of his clients. The one thing I hate about writing "romantic" stories is that they need to unfold. They can't just come out all at once. I just want to explain everything now! Erg! But alas, waiting is better.

**Jeanniestorm**: Yes, Miroku has such a strong personality that I wanted it to be obvious the second he was introduced. And the Inuyasha deal was just him coming in from out of nowhere. I wanted him to keep his other-worldly qualities while making him still _slightly_ modernized (hence his ability to pop onto the car hood without notice, and his silver hair). I'm still debating the ears though.

**Pegalia Von Borrador**: I hoped he would turn out to be believable. --smiles-- He is THE funniest character in the entire show and I wanted that reflected even in his "professionalism."

**Demon Exterminator Barbie**: He got off so easy when he first arrived. The terror begins tomorrow…

**Dark Darianna Minamino**: ANY good review is a fun review. You just seemed happy is all. Maybe I just read too much into it. : S lol. I don't mind rambling. I do it frequently myself.

And to everyone else who reviewed, thank you VERY much. I always feel more chipper after reading an encouraging review.


	5. Electrify Me

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe.

* * *

The next morning, Sango awoke to an empty room. For a moment, she didn't realize what that meant. This was normal. But the second she remembered that Miroku was supposed to be there, she bolted up-right in her bed and started hyperventilating. The first thing that came to her mind was that she had driven Miroku off with all her roughness and cruel words.

"Oh no," she breathed. "No, no, no, no. He can't be gone yet! I still need him!"

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she scanned the room for some sign that he was still here.

Suddenly, she heard the shower water turn on, alerting Sango that someone was using it. Miroku hadn't left. She let out a deep breath and placed her hand over her chest in genuine relief. Those four seconds of panic were enough to get her heart beating like a drum roll.

Rapping her knuckles sharply against the bathroom door, she called his name.

"Miroku? Are you in there?"

There was no answer so Sango knocked again. The crunch of the plastic curtain being pushed aside was the only implication that he'd heard her at all. As she waited, she examined her fingernails and cleaned out the dirt from underneath them. It wasn't that she particularly cared whether or not she had dirty fingernails, it was just a nervous habit. She'd never been one for manicures or perfect nails anyway.

The western-style door swung open to reveal Miroku in a bath towel, water dripping off of his hair and body.

"_Don't stare, Sango. Don't stare,"_ she commanded herself. _"Look at his eyes. Keep your vision UP!" _

He waited a moment for her to speak first. When she didn't, he gave her a look that questioned her intellect. "What?"

"I was just making sure it was you in there. I thought you'd left," she confessed.

"Who else would it be? Do you normally have other people using your shower?"

"No," she replied, realizing how silly it was to have to check to see if it was him. Of course it was him. Duh. "I'm still not used to having someone else around like this."

"Never had a roommate?"

"I do, but she and I were always on different work schedules. We had to plan weeks in advance to go out anywhere."

"How annoying." His tone sounded slightly uninterested, or maybe he was just cold from standing in the door way in simply a towel. It took Sango a moment to realize this.

"Oh! I'm sorry! You're probably freezing. You can get back in," she said with a nervous wave of her hand. He nodded and did as she allowed him. He turned around, dropped the towel, and stepped back into the shower. Stifling a gasp, not because his body but his boldness, she covered her mouth with her hand. Obviously, she shut her eyes but not in time to miss a full view of the back of him. Just as she was about to shut the door and give him some privacy, he spoke.

"So Sango," he began casually, not the normal way people talk when they're practically naked in front of a stranger. The only thing that separated them was the opaque curtain. "I'm staying here for two weeks so I hope there's going to be more to do than just hang around your house."

"Yeah, um, we actually were invited to a little pre-wedding party. Not exactly the rehearsal but still sort of fancy."

"Alright, good. Maybe we can really start 'acting' now."

"You find_ pleasure_ in lying?" Considering the shower curtain to be good enough coverage, Sango stepped into the bathroom and leaned against the sink with her arms crossed.

"The performance is the fun part of my job."

"And the massive amount of money has nothing to do with it, I'm sure."

He poked his head out from behind the curtain and gave Sango a chastising look.

"Do you really think so little of me, Sango?"

"It's human nature to be selfish and greedy," she said automatically.

"Yes, that's man-kind as a whole. But is it ME you think so little of?" he clarified.

Sango delayed her answer, trying to find the right phrasing. He never seemed to be asking the question she thought he was, always the one she didn't want to answer. While she deliberated, Miroku stood waiting with his dripping hair pouring drops of water down the front of his face.

"It's the way you act."

"Who says I'm acting like me?" He slipped back behind the curtain and under the shower head, leaving Sango puzzled. She supposed that it was probably true, that he wasn't being who he really was deep down. But after so much acting, wouldn't most people forget who they were to begin with? They become nobody. Maybe Miroku had become that too.

Sango gazed a pityingly at the shower curtain where Miroku would have been. It almost seemed sad, to her, that this was his life. This was what he had to do to survive. For someone like himself, there were so many other opportunities in the world. How did he get here?

The water suddenly stopped and the curtain flew open, disrupting Sango from her thoughts. And there was Miroku, stark naked in all his glory.

"Holy shit!" hollered Sango as she spun around to face the wall. She'd known Miroku for less than twenty four hours and she'd already seen more than she had ever wanted to. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Because I always get the same reaction from you." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"You enjoy tormenting me?"

"It's only tormenting because you're still not even comfortable with yourself, let alone other people." The rustle of a towel being swept across Miroku's body reach Sango's ears.

"I'm fine with myself. You're just a different story."

"I meant your body, Sango." As Miroku said this, the woman visibly stiffened. Why did he always have to make her feel so… little?

"What about my body?"

"Just never mind," he said with a sigh. "By the way, _you_ look cute this morning."

Sango suppressed a smile, knowing that she shouldn't let him sweet-talk her now. Then when she looked in the mirror, her face grew dark. Her hair was in hideous disarray and her mascara was smudged around her eyes like a raccoon. That always was the hardest make up to remove for her. She gasped and then shot a glare over to Miroku, who was smiling cheerfully (in pants). **He** was entertained by his own little joke.

"Very funny, Mr. Houshi," she spat, trying to inconspicuously smooth down her hair. He laughed quietly then walked past her to the bedroom.

"You're turn," he said, as if he were being considerate. Sango sighed, pouting at her own reflection.

* * *

They walked out into the kitchen together to see Sango's mother sitting at the table with a clothing catalogue open in front of her plate. As she took each bite, she turned a page and scoured the page for something interesting. Sango clanked two plates together loudly to make her look up. It worked, and she almost jumped when she saw the two of them leaning over the stove to see what was in the two pans. 

"Oh, Sango! You scared me! I'm still not used to other people being here besides your father," she said quietly. "Konichiwa, Miroku"

"Konichiwa, Mrs. Taijiya," he said with a smile and a nod.

Breakfast consisted of egg noodles and steamed vegetables. However well it was prepared, it still made Sango's stomach ache for a stack of pancakes and a side of bacon. Miroku showed no signs of displeasure but took a heaping portion and sat down one seat away from Sango's mom, saving the seat in the middle for Sango herself.

Sango limited her vegetables but took a decent amount of egg noodles (she still liked those) and sat down at the table in the seat Miroku had expected.

"So how did you both sleep last night," asked Mrs. Taijiya kindly.

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, actually," admitted Sango as she scooped up some noodles and shoveled them in her mouth. Her mother stood speechless for a moment with her eyes large. She'd evidently read more into Sango's answer that what was intended. "I'm just not used to sharing a bed with someone."

Her mother's face eased as Sango had hoped and she turned to Miroku.

"Did you have the same problem, dear?"

"I could sleep anywhere and be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

Again, the old woman's eyes widened. It was like she was** looking** for lewd connotations to their responses.

"_Is it that hard to imagine a man and a woman just sleeping in the same bed, and not sleeping together?"_ Sango thought peevishly. She leaned to one side, pretending to shift in her position, and subtly brushed against Miroku. He glanced over at her and she gave him a warning look. He nodded, understanding her secret message.

Sango tried to change the subject. "So, Mom, where's dad? Did he go somewhere?" Her voice might have been a little bit too hopeful.

"Oh, no. He's just still sleeping. He should be up soon, though," answered her mother indifferently. She hadn't heard the pleading in Sango's voice, not did she see her expression drop.

Right on time, shuffling footsteps announced that Mr. Taijiya was awake and in the room.

"Speak of the devil," his wife said in a cheerful morning voice. The man looked slowly over to the table and saw the young couple. Sango could have sworn that he glared at Miroku. Plastering a smile on his face, the man greeted them.

"Konichiwa, you all," he said sluggishly. They each replied the same, and he joined them at the table on the other side of his wife.

It must have been a time like this when someone invented the phrase "awkward silence."

Despite the silence, Sango's thoughts were buzzing about her head like an angry bee hive. He might have just woken up, but her dad was almost the most alert in the morning apposed to any other time of the day. This meant he was awake enough to actually "greet" Miroku in his usual way.

Sango's glance jumped from each person at the table fearfully, just waiting for the horror to begin. Although both of her parents probably had much to say, they kept quiet. The only sound in the room was the clicking of chopsticks. Deciding to just enjoy her breakfast, Sango ceased her fretful thinking and popped another vegetable in her mouth.

Suddenly, Sango felt the food stop in her throat. She was choking. No one realized at first since Sango just sat there trying to cough it up on her own. Just a few seconds later, she convulsed from lack of air and wrapped her hand around her throat, the universal sign for choking. While her mother just gasped and looked horrified, Miroku jumped into action, slapping her back and trying to help her. In her panic, Sango's throat started swelling up around the food lodged in her windpipe and made the situation even worse. She was getting rapidly more and more desperate and slammed her fists down on the table with a loud crash. Nothing was helping until Mr. Taijiya himself rounded the table to her and gave her a swift open-palmed strike in the chest, and the perpetrator came flying out of Sango's mouth. Breathing in ragged, coughing gasps, Sango leaned over the table weakly.

"Thank you for the help, Miroku," Mr. Taijiya said. He sounded sincere but when Sango looked up, she saw the look of distain in his eyes.

"No, sir, I didn't help at all. It was all you," Miroku replied humbly. Sango couldn't help but commend him. Normally, a person would just say 'thank you' and be done with it. That was some fast thinking, and definitely the right thing to say.

"Sango! Are you ok? Can you breathe alright?" fussed Mrs. Taijiya in her motherly way. Sango dismissed her fears with a smile and a nod.

"I'm not hungry anymore, though," she replied light-heartedly. Her mother gave a soft laugh and told Sango to go get dressed and ready for the party. That was when Sango realized she was still in her pajamas while Miroku was in black slacks and a spiffy dress shirt that passed for casual and impressive at the same time. Well, she listed that she wanted her escort stylish.

Sango agreed and patted Miroku on the shoulder, urging him to follow her as well.

"Wait," her father called. Everyone froze. "Let Miroku stay here. It'd be nice to… talk with him."

Sango was going pale with worry but Miroku courteously agreed and went back to sit at the table. He winked at her as if to say "I can handle myself" and then sent her on her way to get ready.

* * *

When Sango had reluctantly left the room, Miroku put on his smooth and charming mask for her parents. 

While the mother was sitting there with a delighted smile on her face, the father was slightly less enthusiastic and a mite more solemn.

"_And I arrive at death row…"_ Miroku joked silently. The mood of the room had shifted so suddenly once Sango was absent. It appeared that her parents were trying to hard to restrain themselves and now they could finally let it all out.

Mr. Taijiya spoke first. "Miroku, is it?"

"Yes, Miroku Houshi."

"I'd like to get to know you a little bit better. So you and Sango have been dating for a few months now?" said the older man, his eyes hard but prodding.

"Six months, to be exact."

"And what are your intentions with her?"

"My intentions?" Miroku said, trying to play stupid while biding time to formulate a proper response.

"What are your plans for the future concerning her?" Mr. Taijiya rephrased.

The black-haired escort decided on a half-truth for his answer. "I'm not entirely sure yet, to be honest. I'd still like to get to know Sango a little more and-"

"Do you want to marry her?" shouted an impatient Mrs. Taijiya. She leaned across the table with a look of hope in her eyes.

Miroku was slightly shocked. Of course he had heard this question before, but never so… hungrily. The woman seemed like she was desperate for a "yes."

"Maybe one day," he answered automatically. That was his standard response so he could please the parents while leaving it open-ended.

"That's not good enough!" exclaimed Mr. Taijiya. "We don't want Sango in a meaningless relationship at her age. She had all of her teenaged years to have flings. It's time she settled down!"

"I would hardly call six months a 'fling', sir," said Miroku politely as he could. Once again, Mr. Taijiya wasn't satisfied with just Miroku's best.

"We know. We know," the wife reassured. She patted Miroku's hand and her tone seemed to try to apologize for her husband's rudeness. "It's just been so long since Sango's been in a serious relationship."

"Yes, since she was in college," Miroku spouted off. For his business career, he'd learned to soak up minute details like a sponge. He never forgot a single thing told to him on the job. Remembering that kind of information could be crucial.

"Exactly," she said softly. "We're worried that Sango is never going to get a husband and be left alone and sad for the rest of her life."

Miroku looked into her pleading eyes and saw the intentions behind them. Mrs. Taijiya really cared about her daughter's happiness. It would have helped if she'd known what actually would have made Sango happy. He flipped his gaze over to Mr. Taijiya, who was staring coldly him in the face. He was also easy to read, in that he was there to protect Sango no matter what. What he needed to learn was that Sango knew how to protect herself pretty well.

This rift between Sango and her parents was simple. Her parents just didn't know who she truly was, and Sango wanted freedom too much to tell them. It was merely elementary, Watson. The question was: Why was this so difficult for all of them to see?

Miroku decided to be Sango's advocate here and try to hint at the truth about Sango. "You will never have to worry about her being unhappy, Mrs. Taijiya. Sango is very independent and could survive on her own quite contently if that's what it came to."

"Sango is strong physically," Mr. Taijiya interjected. "But I'm not sure how strong she in emotionally. I trained her to be tough and endure life, but the area of… boys… seems to be a touchy subject for her."

The spiteful way he said "boys" like Sango was still a child surprised Miroku a little. This might be even simpler than he thought. They still wanted the little girl when what they had was an adult daughter. They couldn't handle that she was grown up.

"_But seriously,"_ Miroku thought. _"She's twenty eight. It's not like she just moved out of the house. They need to accept that she's old enough to handle these things herself."_

"We think she's so sensitive about her love life because she's lonely," added Mrs. Taijiya next to him.

Miroku sighed. "Maybe she's just a little uncomfortable talking about it with her parents."

"What a terrible thing to say!" Mrs. Taijiya roared. "And from you, of all people. You're practically demanding us to remove ourselves from Sango's life."

"I said no such thing. I simply suggested that maybe it's a sensitive subject because she feels awkward, not emotional. Why would she have something to be emotional about when she has me, anyway?"

There was a short silence as big Mr. Taijiya glared menacingly down at Miroku.

"That's what we want to know."

"We heard you two yelling last night," informed Sango's mother.

"And that can only mean one of two things…" said the old man, letting that sentence linger for a moment before he continued. "You were either fighting or..."

Miroku laughed nervously. He held up his hands defensively and said, "First off, let me assure you that we were not doing that. We never have."

"Then you must have been fighting," Mr. Taijiya concluded falsely. Miroku wanted to groan and rub his eyes in frustration, but it would do a lot more damage than it was worth.

"We were arguing, but not fighting. There's a distinct difference," he clarified.

"What were you arguing about?"

"Her dress for today," Miroku lied automatically. "She was nervous about today and taking it out on me. All of them looked good, if you asked me."

He added that last little bit in, hoping that they'd think that he found Sango beautiful. That usually earned some brownie points with parents. Mr. Taijiya, however, was not pleased. Miroku supposed that this man was just **not **going to let him win.

"I just want to warn you now, that if you do anything senseless, I will personally make your life miserable." His voice lowered an octave as he shot his threat warningly at Miroku, the boyfriend.

"Then I'll be sure to keep my head about things." Miroku's eyes glinted with mischief, but neither parent caught it in time.

* * *

Sango fussed with the Chinese embroidery on her dress restlessly as she waited for Miroku to come back to the bedroom. She'd been ready for the last ten minutes and was coming unglued with worry. She was anxious to hear what happened. 

At first, she had waited in the next room with her ear pressed to the door, trying to decipher what they were saying. When all she could determine was mumbling, she gave up and come to the decision that it'd be best to really get ready for the party and give her shaking hands something to do.

She glanced for the thousandth time in the mirror at her dress. It was midnight-black with thick pink straps and a pink sash tied around her middle. It was sixty percent spandex and showed off her hour-glass figure clearer than she might have liked. It was a gift from her parents for her twenty-fifth birthday, though. She thought this was as good a time as any to wear it. Maybe they'd think it was actually put to good use.

Her fingers plucked at the gold thread in an oriental pattern on her high chest as she waited impatiently for the door to open. This was driving her insane!

To her relief, the door opened slowly to reveal Miroku appearing alive and uninjured.

"How was it? What did they say? I'm so sorry if they said anything rude to you," she said quickly, and she walked up to him with a look of worry on her face. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Sango, this is my job. I've done this a thousand times. Don't worry about me," he said.

"Ok," she said simply. When he opened his eyes again, Sango was smiling. It wasn't a smirk or sarcastic grin, it was a smile; small, but sincere. And time stood still for a moment as Sango's face seemed to shine.

She was so beautiful.

He brushed the bangs out of her eyes and stared into them, completely mesmerized by her beauty. Her eyes stayed placid, neither upset nor intrigued. As he pushed back her hair, she did not move. She was just as enchanted as he. The feather-soft sensation of his fingertips sent chills through Sango's body and all she could manage was an upright posture.

"_I've never seen anyone like her before,"_ he realized.

There was a storm going on inside Miroku. He knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew what should do. His thoughts swirled around in his head as he debated the consequences of both. Was it worth Sango distancing herself further from him?

It didn't matter. He couldn't stand it any longer, he had to do it. He leaned in tentatively and reached one hand up to tilt her head up with two fingers. He paused to gauge her reaction.

She knew what was coming. She knew he was going to try to kiss her. In her right mind she would have struck him, but her mind was in such a daze that her logic was too foggy to push him away. She couldn't stop herself.

Their lips collided shyly at first but flared with passion just a moment after they touched; passion too long denied by Sango. It'd been years since she'd ever kissed a man, but she knew she'd never kissed one like this. Their ragged breaths were their words, speaking lust. She drove her fingers in his hair and clutched him to her like a starving woman, and he retaliated by pressed his hands into her back. It was like they couldn't be close enough. Miroku wanted to press every inch of his body to hers and melt into her smaller frame.

Sango was the one to pull away, against what she really wanted. She looked up into Miroku's eyes, which were ablaze with passion. The kiss was short, too short, but so exploding with staggering sensations that Sango felt her knees go weak.

"We have a party to go to," she said, her voice breaking. It was obvious that neither of them wanted to stop, but both of them knew they needed to. And not just to be on time for the party.

Awkwardly, they untangled themselves from each other and straightened their clothes, never once making eye contact.

"Let's go," Miroku said curtly.

As they stepped out of the room, Miroku walking in front, Sango touched her lips softly. She'd never felt anything like that before. That sudden spark of ardor when they touched was electrifying.

"_What am I doing?"_

* * *

  
Author's Note: I've gotten over 1000 hits for Love is a Lie! WHOOT! Absolutely unheard of for any of my fics (at least this early)! Thank you everyone who reads Love is a Lie and reviews me. I greatly appreciate you guys. 

And I just wanted to remind everyone that I am constantly going over my chapters (even after I post them) to check for errors that the computer never picked up. So there might be some places where the arrangement or words or the context of a word doesn't seem quite right. That probably means it isn't. I always try to fix it quick though. So if you have a question about something not sounding right, ask me it and I'll explain and then it might help me to find those fiendish errors faster.

**Demon Exterminator Barbie**: LMAO! Wow, I had no idea that other people used that phrase "sex on legs". My friends and i use it ALL the time. Just for that, this chapter is deticated to you.

**Kristin-a-dette**: It seems like a Miroku thing to be blunt when provoked. I love that Casanova expression... I'd never really heard it put like that before. Interesting... but yes, making Sango feel uneasy is probably his only source of entertainment. XD

**Pegalia Von Borrador**: LOL! Wasn't that great? I liked that too. :D It's one of those random situations that don't move the plot forward, but they make the story worth reading. Hahaha!

**Smart in a Stupid Way**: If you see my earlier review responses or my profile, you'll see that the basic idea was inspired by The Wedding Date. Fantastic movie. I thought it was a nice mix of humor and romance.

**Seed-of-Flame**: Oh, I completely understand. This story helped me avoid MY summer reading too! XD Just a boring book about Russians having affairs. Not exactly Thrillsville.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed!


	6. The Wedding Party

Title: Love is a Lie 

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe.

* * *

While Miroku drove the car to the party, Sango's mind was spinning so violently she thought she might vomit from the overload of conflicting thoughts. Her other senses switched off as she enveloped herself in her thoughts.

This was all wrong. All wrong. It never should have happened and she sure as hell wasn't going to let it happen again. She should never have kissed Miroku, especially like she did. Sure, he was partially to blame but she could have said no and shoved him away at any time. Why didn't she? This situation was so close to the last one. She'd learned from before…

She'd only met him the night before and he'd already proven himself to be nothing more than a greedy lecher with no respect for the opposite sex.

"_Quite a winner,"_ she thought with a roll of her eyes.

Her stomach churned with regret as she craved a chance to wipe off her lips and get this disgusting feeling off of her. Not just that, though. She wanted a blistering hot shower to take off the feeling of his fingers on her skin; anything to make her feel clean again. Only for the sake of her make up did she decide not to scrub her lips with her hand to remove this unbearable feeling of filth. She felt tainted, as if she'd kissed a snake. The pleasurable sensation of the kiss was soon replaced with a slimy feel that made Sango blanch.

Miroku looked over at her as he noticed her nearly hunched over and terribly pale.

"Are you sick, Sango?" he asked concernedly.

Suddenly shaken from her sleep-like thinking, she realized Miroku was still right next to her. Without looking at him, Sango shook her head and tried to compose herself, taking deep breaths. The color quickly returned to her cheeks and she plastered a fake smile on her face to top off the phony look. Miroku kept stealing glances at her with an unconvinced look in his eyes. His mouth was pulled into a deep frown.

He knew why she was so suddenly upset, and he knew how terribly he'd screwed up. When that voice in the back of his head had asked him "Do you really want to do this?" it wasn't his clear mind that answered back; it was that damn shot of testosterone that moved in without a second thought. Why did he always have to do that? Why did he always have to move to quickly? He couldn't control it… but he wanted so badly to be able to.

They arrived at the party place, a large, airy townhouse sort of building that looked quaint and girly enough for Kagome but practically enough for Inuyasha. They pulled up to the front entrance where Miroku handed the valet the keys and went to open Sango's door.

"_No," _she thought angrily. _"I can do it myself."_

Just to spite him, she opened her door just as he was about to grab the handle and nearly smashed his hand in. He withdrew his hand just in time so it didn't get battered, and observed the venomous glare that Sango shot him. Those dangerously icy eyes warned him to keep his distance.

"_If looks could kill…"_ Miroku thought nervously, very clearly backing away so she knew he understood. The valet gave a knowing smile as she climbed into the driver's seat of the Ford Focus that Mr. and Mrs. Taijiya had rented for Sango and Miroku.

They walked into the party a good foot and a half away from each other and were merrily greeted by Kagome from across the room.

"Sango! Miroku!" she cried as she flailed her arms to get their attention. Sango smiled instantly. She was so glad to see a pleasant face.

Kagome scurried over in her green and white sundress and embraced Sango warmly. In return, Sango did the same.

"I'm glad you're here!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "I need you to do me a favor."

"And what's that?" Sango inquired, hardly caring what it really was. She'd do it anyway if it was for Kagome. Plus, it'd give her a legitimate reason to get away from Miroku.

"I just got a call from the priest last night saying that he had to cancel and I have no idea where to find another one on such short notice. Could you help me out?"

It was a project so simple Sango could have done it in her sleep, but she was overjoyed to have a job, a purpose, for this wedding besides walking down the aisle and looking pretty.

Struck with a new sense of determination, Sango replied, "No problem, Kagome! I'll get you a priest before the day is over."

Miroku stood passively to the side and took no part in the conversation until Kagome turned to him and said, "Hey, Miroku, how'd you like to come and talk with me and Inuyasha? I'm pretty sure Sango's not going to be much fun while she's tying down a priest."

Miroku nodded mechanically and watched Sango go speeding off into the front hall where an old-style telephone sat charmingly on an antique end table. That was her destination. He would have laughed at her silly enthusiasm had he not been in such a strange mood.

* * *

Miroku stood in a circle of friends, all of them talking to each other excitedly about the wedding. Kagome was getting pampered with so much attention while Inuyasha was off to one side keeping an eye on her. Miroku noticed that he liked to do that. He'd been watching her like a hawk the whole time. He seemed like the overly protective type. However, even when Kagome was speaking to other guys (there was one guy…. Houjo or something like that) he didn't do anything to stop her, just glared. Kagome had probably tamed his tongue enough to keep him silent during times like this, but she couldn't keep him from watching attentively. Miroku smirked and considered that he was probably just undressing her with his eyes. They only had little over a week until the wedding, after all.

Suddenly, Miroku felt a tap on his shoulder. Spinning around to face whoever tapped him, he came face to face with tall, lanky boy with brown hair in a high ponytail.

Miroku gave a courteous smile and said, "Hello, can I help you?"

"You're Miroku right?" the boy said curtly. Miroku nodded. He noticed how close the boy came to his own height. His face was still boyish, though.

"Yes, I am. And who might you be?"

The boy didn't answer with his words. Instead he smiled and firmly hugged Miroku, patting him affectionately on the back. A bit surprised, Miroku only responded by widening his eyes and laughing nervously.

"It's great to finally meet you! I'm Sango's brother, Kohaku," the boy said merrily.

Sango had never mentioned a brother, but it would have been stupid not to act cordial towards him.

"It's a pleasure, Kohaku. Sango's talks about you a lot," he said, stretching the truth quite a bit. He hoped this wasn't a prank, and this kid was just pretending to be Sango's brother. How foolish he would look then. The boy, Kohaku, looked too sincere to be playing a trick, though.

The boy smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck like he was embarrassed or flattered. Apparently he liked the recognition.

"I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever meet you, Miroku. Sango never told us anything about you and we all thought you were a crazy axe murderer or some loopy artist who never leaves his house."

"What the hell…?" Miroku said without thinking. He almost slapped his hand over his mouth after those words escaped his lips. That was definitely **not** a _charming_ thing to say. How stupid he was to let his words slip even for a second. He was just too… zoned out. Still, that was no excuse for just his thoughtless response. Had this been Sango's parents, he could see their eyes go perfectly round and Mrs. Taijiya's mouth dropping just a little. '_How rude'_ they would say.

However, Kohaku burst into thunderous laughter at Miroku's reaction. Sighing happily, Miroku smiled and laughed a little too.

"Well I'm pretty sure that your reaction is a good enough confirmation that you're not some nut." Kohaku's face beamed with happiness. He was a pleasant young fellow, and Miroku felt comfortable with him despite the wide age gap.

"Was there really _that_ much of a speculation?" Miroku asked jokingly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned on one leg casually.

"Between our parents, there was. Everyone else just knew that Sango just wasn't comfortable telling Mom and Dad about you. You know how Sango is. She's always been a bit awkward with love."

"No, I don't think awkward is quite the word," disagreed Miroku, _"More like malicious."_

"Well I have to get going. Got a lot of other people I need to say hello to," said Kohaku apologetically.

Miroku nodded. "I understand. Take care."

Kohaku waved, flashing a pleasant smile and walked off.

"_Why couldn't ALL of Sango's family be like Kohaku_?" Miroku thought and shook his head with a smirk.

He turned back to the group gathered around Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha hadn't had a bit of conversation since Miroku had joined, so the escort decided that he'd go over and keep him company.

Inuyasha didn't move his eyes to see Miroku walk over, but nodded in vague acknowledgment when Miroku came to lean on the same wall that he had been for the last hour or so.

"Hey there," Miroku said with a relaxed sigh.

"So you're Sango's guy, huh?" he said in his throaty, baritone voice. He seemed rather bored.

"I am. Word travels fast, I see," Miroku answered. He looked around like he was interested in who was there. Frankly, he didn't give a damn. They were random people who had nothing to do with him. Only Sango was important. She was his job, not these people.

"We're a tight-knit group. Sango's been our friend since high school," Inuyasha said, almost warningly. It was like he was saying _"You hurt her, I hurt you."_

"By '_our'_, I assume you mean you and Kagome."

"Naturally," he snorted. He shifted his position against the wall, uncrossing and crossing his arms. "I hate these things."

"I find them rather predictable. I like it," Miroku said honestly.

"Been to many wedding parties?" inquired Inuyasha jokingly.

"I have a lot of _friends_ around that marrying age," replied Miroku with a laugh. "It's a never-ending wedding party in my life right now."

"Sorry for your luck. I think I'd freaking shoot myself if I had to go to more than one of these."

"It's not so bad. You learn to find ways to entertain yourself." Miroku's eyes twinkles mischievously. "People are _very_ entertaining when they're drunk at these things."

Interrupting their short conversation, Kagome came over and grabbed Inuyasha by the elbow.

"Come on, Inuyasha!" she requested in her normal bouncy tone. "You should talk to all the people who are here to see you."

"Oh, don't lie. They're here for you," he said snappishly. She tugged on his arm a few more times before he rolled his eyes, sighed, and got up to converse with the other party guests.

Miroku shifted his shoulders that were positioned awkwardly against the wall until it was comfortable. He took a long look around the room to observe all the people there. It was obvious that Kagome had more friends than family, judging from the common age most of the guests shared. They all looked young and ripe in their twenties or barely thirties (except for a few older individuals who had to be relatives). One group stood out to him especially. There was a string of three raven-haired girls standing near Kagome, all in cute, stylish dresses, chatting animatedly with the bride-to-be. They had to be her close friends.

There were other people there of the same nature, all young and all seemingly close with Kagome. She was just Ms. Popularity today. However, Miroku doubted this was a new concept for her.

He then cast his gaze over to the entry hall where he knew Sango stood. How did a woman like Sango get mixed up in a crowd like this? It was like the Butch, lesbian girl hanging out with the pretty princesses of high school. How was that supposed to work?

He almost giggled at his own comparison. Poor Sango probably never got reprieve from these lesbian cracks.

"_It's so sad that a woman as beautiful as Sango doesn't have the sort of… magnetism that most of these girls do,"_ he thought as he eyed one of the pretty party members in a low-cut dress. _"Yes… magnetic."

* * *

_

"YES!" Sango said as she triumphantly slammed the telephone down. She stood with her fists resting on her hips in an almost heroic pose. "I've done it yet again."

The priest had been a hard sucker to nail down. Every one she called either complained that it was too short notice or that they didn't marry a couple outside of their denomination.

"_Silly excuses,"_ Sango had thought. Finally, she managed to talk one man into being the certified priest at Kagome's and Inuyasha's wedding. She credited it all to her superior verbal skills and female gender. Men just feel sorry for a woman in need. It was a truth that she used to her advantage only when she needed it; and this was a time that had really needed it. So in less than forty-five minutes, Sango had solved the problem.

"I love feeling useful," she muttered cheerfully with a smile.

She rejoined the rest of the party guests in the main hall where they were all chatting and laughing with drinks in hand. The women in their short, revealing dresses and the men in their smart, trim suits made her feel a tad out of place. They all seemed in their element at a party like this, all casually socializing with each other and flirting shamelessly. She kept her head down as she walked over near Kagome and Inuyasha.

When she came to stop at Kagome's side, the girl turned right away to ask how things went.

She smiled smugly. "Don't worry, you're still getting married on the 27th."

Kagome squealed and threw her arms around Sango's neck. Sango laughed and hugged her back, feeling completely ecstatic. Kagome always made her feel… loved, accepted.

She noticed Miroku wasn't with Kagome and Inuyasha as she thought he was. Curious, she stopped and looked around the spacious room.

In seconds she spotted him. Sitting at the bar, he was mingling with a cute blonde in a short little red dress. Sango's eyes narrowed.

"MIROKU!" she yelled angrily. Several of the people stopped what they were doing to look over at Sango fuming. Even Miroku froze in mid-sentence and slowly turned his head to look at her. The black look on her face was enough to make him say farewell to this attractive young girl and scuttle over to her side.

"What were you doing?" she demanded.

"Talking," he answered innocently, trying to make himself look as pathetic as possible so she'd go easy on him.

"Yeah, right! Stop flirting with other girls, you… you man-whore," she hissed furiously. She glanced at the group of eyes fixed on her and Miroku and she smiled nervously at them. Grabbing Miroku's elbow, she ushered him out of the building and onto the steps that lead up to it.

She turned around to face him when they reached the outside, but her eyes were closed in forced patience. She wanted to scold him and tell him he was acting childish, but something was stopping her.

She felt a little foolish for giving him the cold-shoulder when they pulled in, then accusing him of practically cheating on her less than an hour later. She would be such a hypocrite if she reprimanded him now. She had to find a way to make her chastisement work while staying constant.

"We're supposed to make this look like a good, strong relationship," she started with her eyes still closed. She hoped she'd be able to keep her temper down if she didn't have to look at him.

Miroku arched an eyebrow indignantly. "Weren't _you_ the one making it look like we were enemies just a little while ago?"

"At least we could have pulled that off as a little fight. You looked like you were flat-out cheating on me!" exclaimed the woman, eyes popping open. She glanced around to see that no one was in earshot and then whispered, "The reason I hired you was so people would leave me alone about my love life. I don't want more people poking their head in my business."

Her fists were balled at her sides. It was taking so much self-control to keep her anger from exploding out of her.

Miroku's brows furrowed together and he sighed.

"You know so little about love, Sango." Miroku's tone was soft and almost sad.

"I know all I need to about business, though, and you agreed to act as my boyfriend. If you don't meet up to my standards then I won't pay you a cent after all this is over," she threatened.

Miroku sighed but did not speak. As Sango was about to turn around and head up the stairs to rejoin the party, Miroku took hold of her wrist.

"Just a moment," he said. Sango stopped and listened obediently. "There are obviously some things we need to sort out before anything else can happen. Otherwise we'll be contradicting each other left and right."

"I agree," Sango replied simply. Her arms crossed over her chest and she shifted her weight to one foot, staring at him expectantly.

"First of all, let's agree that we don't leave each other during the party so no suspicions are raised," started Miroku. Sango nodded at his reasonable request. "Afterwards, we can delve into this with more detail."

"Can we make no physical contact?" Sango appealed.

"That'll look like we're avoiding each other."

"_Which is what I'm trying to do,"_ Sango sighed inwardly. "How about no kissing? And no groping." Her finger was pointed at his accusingly and Miroku gasped like he'd been offended.

"I'm hurt that you would assume that of me, Sango dear."

Unimpressed Sango narrowed her eyes and stepped down until she was just one stair up from Miroku. With determination in her eyes, she came close to his face and said, "I want this to look right. Now if you want to mess it all up for me, then fine. That just means you're messing it all up for yourself too. I told you I'm not going to pay you if I get found out. And there isn't a law suit in the world that I couldn't overcome. I ordered a submissive guy and it's time you listened to me for real. I call the shots, buddy."

Miroku stood stone-still on the stairs. The brown eyes before him were hard with resolve, and he almost smiled in spite of her serious tone. She loved to be in control; that was obvious. Ever since he had arrived, she had been trying to grab the reigns on this situation, and now she was putting her foot down. She had tried many times before, that was for sure, but this time it was different. There was less anger in her face and more courage. But that was not why he wanted to crack a smile.

He admired her strong will.

"How about we limit it to just casual touches? Around the shoulders, on the waist- you know."

Sango smiled almost in relief. She was just grateful he was finally working with her.

"I can deal with that. But don't get fresh with me, Houshi," she warned light-heartedly. He chuckled and took her hand. For some reason, Sango didn't mind.

"Let's get back." He gently tugged on her hand as he walked up the steps. "By the way, you look beautiful."

* * *

The rest of the party was at least bearable. When Miroku wasn't making his presence know by a touch on the neck or a hand around her middle, Sango was able to relax for long enough to have fun. It'd been so long since she'd been to any sort of party and one like this made her want to go to parties more often. Most of her good time could be credited to Kagome. There was just something about that girl that made everyone feel at ease.

Suddenly, a loud screech tore through the party conversations, causing everyone to either gasp or wince in pain. They all turned their heads to a woman standing next to an amp with a microphone in hand. Mrs. Higurashi.

"Hello, everyone! I'm so glad you all could make it to Kagome's and Inuyasha's wedding party. As you all know, Kagome and Inuyasha have been together for some time now and we're all so excited to see them get married and start a family." The woman looked lovingly over at her daughter and Inuyasha. While Kagome was smiling sweetly, Inuyasha was turning red at the idea of starting a family.

"It's not everyday that people love each other as much as they do, and I'm thrilled that they're together. And weddings are such lovely affairs. I remember when I got married to the love of my life. I'd never been so happy in all my years than when I was walking down that aisle, getting ready to promise my life to him. I was looking forward to the years we would have together and knowing how lucky I was to find the man created just for me.

"Everyone has a person they're meant to be with, they just have to find them. Kagome and Inuyasha found each other. One day you'll both see how incredibly fortunate you are. One day, maybe we'll see Sango standing where Kagome is with the man of her dreams, getting ready for a married life."

Sango's eyes grew large and her face burned with her blush. Why did she _have_ to single her out? Why did Mrs. Higurashi _have_ to use her name? She knew Sango had no plans to ever get married. She'd never really wanted to get married.

… Or did she?

The idea crept into her unguarded mind for a second and took hold of her. The thought of standing there at the altar, in a white dress, in front of the man whom she loved and who loved her back…

It seemed so far away. When she was in high school, she had made the resolution not to get married until she finished college. After she graduated from college, she promised not to get married until she was financially stable enough. Once she was absolutely taken care of, she swore she wouldn't get married until she found a guy that was worth her time.

Was there such a man? Could there be someone just for her?

She glanced over at Miroku who stood casually to the side, his eyes fixed on Mrs. Higurashi. Sango almost laughed.

"_That would be hilarious,"_ she thought as she covered her mouth to keep the giggles in.

"And so I ask you all to join me to toast to Kagome and Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi closed. She raised her champagne glass and the rest of the guests did the same.

"To Kagome and Inuyasha," everyone said in unison.

* * *

The party continued on for a little while longer as friends and family came to wish the couple well. There was one old acquaintanceof Inuyasha's that came by and caused quite a ruckus. It was some woman with long black hair; Kiki or something.

Miroku was drug away by Eri and Ayumi, two of Kagome's close friends from high school. Yuka stayed behind with Kagome, Sango, and Inuyasha while the other two girls took him to the bar to buy drinks. Both women seemed slightly inebriated as they giggled and rambled a little incoherently.

"So where'd you find that one?" Yuka asked as she gestured towards Miroku. Sango looked up from her drink with a look of surprise.

"We met at work," she answered simply.

"Hard to believe you haven't talked about him very much, Sango. He's really handsome," Kagome said, stirring her martini a little. Inuyasha put a protective hand on her waist and leaned closer to her. "No offense, Inuyasha."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he's handsome alright. And rude and conceited and…" Her sentence trailed off as she looked over at Miroku, Ayumi, and Eri at the bar. He was staring right back with a smirk. He winked in her direction then turned back to the bar.

"Oh Kami," said Yuka in a dead-pan voice, but her eyes were bulging. "I think the man just stole my virginity."

For a moment, the group was silent. Then suddenly, Sango burst into fits of laughter. She was nearly bending laughing as her hoots reached the far ends of the main hall.

"That… is the most hysterical thing… I've heard in ages," she managed to say through her laughing.

Just seconds later, the whole group was laughing, even Inuyasha.

* * *

Author's Note: There's so much more to this fic than you guys even realize yet and it annoys the CRAP out of me when the fic looks poorly (or unrealistically) written when it's just because we're so early in it. So in regards to the kiss in the last chapter, don't fret. It has a purpose, as I hope you saw in this chapter. I'm not just trying to skip to the good stuff. I don't write like that. I want Love is a Lie to be a fic which thirteen-years-old and thirty-year-olds can read and be affected or at least entertained. I want you girls to relate to Sango and fall in love with Miroku. I want guys to see a glimpse into the female mind. I want you all to feel what they're feeling because otherwise, I haven't done my job. **That** is my goal for Love is a Lie.

By the way, anyone know of some REALLY good Sango/Miroku fics? I've been trying to find some worth reading but I just can't. I don't have the time. I'd also like to announce that Love is a Lie will take a little longer than expected to update. It'll take anywhere from **2-3 weeks to get a new chapter up**, thanks to my hectic job and massive amounts of school. Please excuse my lateness. : ( I really did try to get it done quickly.

**Kristin-a-dette**: Yes! I know! sighs I do wish that Sango and Miroku would kiss in the show. By the way, the movie, in my opinion, is fantastic. But don't expect it to be much the same. The characters are so different in my adaptation. Sango's not like Kat in the movie. But all by itself, the movie was sweet and inspiring. It was good enough for me to want to write a fic off it, right?

**october Tuscany**: Ack! You have no idea how much I adore readers like you. Even though this chapter wasn't nearly as grand as the last, I hope you enjoyed it.

**swtorbitter**: Wow! I'm glad I've turned you onto the idea of SangoxMiroku. They're my favorite pairing.

**Seed-of-Flame**: Are you seeing a pattern here? lol. Summer reading has taken a turn for the worse. :P

**Demon Exterminator Barbie**: Yup! All that was for you! And let me tell you, it takes a lot to impress me. : ) By the way, I did a search for Brian Kinney when I got your review… how dare you poison my mind with such beauty. One MORE gorgeous man to obsess over! I do so love his hair.

**Pegelia Von Borrador**: Omg, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the "just freakin make out already!" I do that while reading fanfics ALL. THE. TIME. But don't worry. They have more moments coming up. And the wait is what makes it all worth while. Glad you liked the kiss so much.

**RedRogue**: Yes, I completely agree. It's only fair for the characters that I make this story as much of my own creation as possible. Sango is NOT Kat, and Miroku is NOT Nick. They were just too different to even keep the very same storyline. However, there will be some things that stay the same. It'll have some of the same general events, but with so many extra things thrown in there that you'll hardly recognize it half the time. Unfortunately, the movie had a time limit. This story will go into so many more things that the movie just didn't have the chance to because of that. It should be interesting.

Thank you, reviewers!


	7. Absolutely, Undoubtedly, Irreversibly

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe.

* * *

The rest of the party went off without a hitch and there was so much drinking at the party that everyone had a good time whether they remembered it or not. Sango, usually the cautious drinker, only consumed moderate amounts of her Sea Breeze at a time to make sure her mind was in no way hindered. Miroku was also fairly wise with his drinking to Sango's surprise. So on their trip home, both were completely sober and had open minds about the conversation they knew was coming. 

They were supposed to determine their _real_ limits for this fake relationship. The word _real_ had a two-sided definition. First, it involved what they were going to finally settle on and promise not to break. Originally, Sango had made it a very chaste and nearly non-noticeable sort of association. She had wanted a tangible person to be her proof that she had a real love life, not her actions. Miroku, on the other hand, had wanted it to be an "anything goes" sort of deal. This was when they were going to come to a compromise and settle somewhere in the middle. The second meaning to _real_ was a tad more complicated. Sango had already noticed her frightening attraction to the young escort and was trying to give herself a true motivation to stay away from him. Giving her word on the matter was good enough motivation for a prideful person like Sango.

They both knew was it meant. They were both fully aware of the situation. The _real_ question is this: How far would their so-called "limits" stretch?

At almost four o'clock in the afternoon, the Focus pulled into the driveway of the Taijiya residence with barely any noise and the two slipped out of the car with the same stealth. When they reached the front door, it was locked. Apparently, Sango's parents had gone out.

"_That's probably better,"_ thought Sango as she pulled out a key. _"We won't be interrupted."_

Sango stuck her key in and twisted it gently before she softly opened the door. They slunk through the house until they came to Sango's bedroom, still feeling like they needed to be quiet incase Mrs. Taijiya was hiding somewhere, just waiting to ambush them once they walked inside. Sango wouldn't have put it past her.

They closed the sliding door to the bedroom and Miroku spoke.

"Ok," he said with a deep breath. "Where do we start?"

"_Funny how he knew what I was thinking,"_ Sango thought silently. Then she said aloud, "Let me change out of this first."

The tightness of her beautiful black and pink dress had been bothering her all day and she finally wanted to get back into something more comfortable and casual. She picked up a wad of clothes from her suitcase and headed to the bathroom to change.

When she emerged again, she was wearing a long, spaghetti-strip tank top and a pair of green, cotton shorts; her pajamas. Miroku had been waiting with his hands in his pockets but swiftly came to attention when Sango stepped out.

"Shall we begin?" he said as Sango came to stand in front of him.

"Where do you think would be best?"

"Let's first start with just normal touches. That seems easy enough. Where am I _allowed_ to touch you?" Miroku said, meaning it completely innocently but Sango's mind pulled a hidden meaning out that almost made her sick.

"_Quit it, Sango. Be professional,"_ she told herself mentally. "Um… I'm not… I don't know."

"You're going to have to be a little more help than that, Sango." Miroku rested one hand on his hip and raise an eyebrow as if to say _"I'm waiting."_

"Well… shoulders are fine, I suppose. And hands. We can hold hands but only sometimes. Don't get carried away with the hand-holding," Sango commanded with pointed finger. Miroku laughed.

"Is that all?" His voice was expectant like he wanted more.

"What else is there?" asked Sango. He question was referring more to _"what else is appropriate for people like us?"_

Miroku took a step closer. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable but it did. She didn't move her feet but subtly leaned back, hoping that would give them some distance.

"Stop that," Miroku said lightly. "The more relaxed we are with each other when we're alone, the more relaxed we'll be with people watching. Think of it as practicing for our real performance."

Sango's incline did not ease until Miroku took her by the shoulders and moved her into a proper upright position.

"Anyway, there are plenty of other places that even **chaste** couples touch. You're making it seem like we're twelve years old with those kinds of boundaries. Be more mature, here." He put on hand on his hip impatiently.

"Well what other places are there to touch that aren't obscene?" said Sango a little heatedly. She mimicked his hand on the hip and arched eyebrow just to spite him. "My ass and my breasts and **completely** off-limits so don't get any ideas!"

Rolling his eyes, he drew a little closer and brought his hands up to her waist casually.

"There's your waist." He said in a list-making tone. His hands left her sides and gradually traveled up to her brown hair, still in a tight ponytail placed high on her head. His eyes locked onto hers. Scratching his fingernails along the sides of her scalp, he said, "Your hair."

"_Stop it,"_ she wanted to say, but her mouth refused to move. She resisted the urge to close her eyes and lean her head back. _"Stop making me feel so…"_

"Your face," he said next as he slowly dropped his hands to her pinked cheeks. His tone went a degree gentler. He brushed his thumbs across them tenderly with his eyes still staring into hers. There was almost this look of intensity is his violet eyes, but not a dangerous look. It seemed more… concentrated.

Letting his fingertips slide gently down her face and off her jaw, they fell upon her neck, which was uncovered by her thin tank top. "Your neck." His voice had softened into a whisper. Sango gulped.

For a few moments, his hands lingered on the naked skin of her neck. Tracing her collarbone, leaving feather touches along the sides, it made Sango's heart race. It was enough to make her forget to breathe while Miroku's expert hands made her fall apart. Their locked gaze was broken when Miroku looked down at her neck as he ran his fingers over Sango's smooth skin. It was like touching silk; one touch just wasn't enough.

Miroku's mind was a haze. Here he was again, caught between what he wanted to do and what he should do. There was no question about what he _wanted_ to do. He _wanted_ to see more than just a neck. He _wanted_ to rip off Sango's clothes and throw her on the bed. But he _should_ stop right here. He knew he should. Why was it that Sango could do this to him? His mind went foggy and his senses took over whenever she was around. It was terribly wonderful. The very best part was that the stunning woman in front of him, bending this way and that just from his hands. She was enjoying it. The power he felt was invigorating.

Sango's logic suddenly kicked her in the ass and her eyes flew open with a gasp. This feeling was sensational, but it felt dangerous too. It was addicting. It was unhealthy. She had to make it stop before things went any further. She stepped back and caused Miroku's hands to fall away from her neck. They rested limply at his sides as he slowly comprehended what she had done.

She was saying no. She was putting her foot down, saying that she would have none of this.

Sango swallowed hard and stared at Miroku questioningly, but not even _she_ knew what she was trying to ask. Her head with filled with a buzzing confusion that made her dizzy. Silence enveloped them in a thick cloud of uneasiness and both people stared at each other, searching each other's eyes to make some sense of this whole situation.

They were both hopelessly lost.

Miroku then said, "Well, I think we've covered enough for today. It's nice to have that big chunk out of the way. We still have half the day to do something, if you're up to anything else."

Sango noticed his eyes darting nervously around the room, trying to look anywhere else but at the woman in front of him. It almost made her sad. She shook her head to his proposition slowly. She had had quite enough activity for the day and was looking forward to relaxing for the rest of it.

"I think it would be better if I stayed home from a while. I haven't had a moment to really rest since I got here," she said. That was partially a lie but it would have to do.

"Understood. Do you mind if leave and do some sight seeing?" he asked shyly. As if **he** had anything to be shy about.

"Feel free."

"I'll be back soon."

"Take your time. Stay out for a while if you want to."

Miroku didn't look Sango in the eye as he pocketed the car keys and strutted out the door.

Sango stumbled over to the bed and flopped on it on her back. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and relived that exhilarating moment just a minute or two ago.

His hands gliding across her neck, his breathe on her face, it was all too much.

Sango's eyes flew open when she realized something. Wait… was he just doing his job? There was a voice in the back of Sango's head telling her that this was all apart of his façade. He was an actor, in a crude sense. It was his job to lie and pretend. That is the essence of the actor's duty. Was he just lying? Was it all just pretend? She couldn't tell and it was frustratingly confusing.

"_If it was just the job_," she thought critically. _"Then why did he do it while we were alone? Why act if there's no audience?" _

That was another question she could not find the answer to on her own. Perhaps Sango was the audience. It might have been her he was trying to fool. She had certainly fallen for it, if that was the case. But why would he have done it? Where was the logic? Where was the reason? What kind of motive would make Miroku want to fool her?

There were too many questions. This was going to drive her crazy.

"That's it!" she said out loud with her eyes screwed shut. "I'm asking him when he gets back!"

* * *

The car rolled back into the driveway after it had already gotten dark. Miroku got out gracefully and locked it before heading to the front door of Sango's house. 

Sango heard the car engine and snapped to attention on the living room couch. She had been waiting for him. She turned the television off and parted the blinds a crack, peaking out like a child. Watching him smoothly approach the door, she decided to ambush him when he got there. When he opened the door, there was Sango with her hands on her hips and an angry scowl on her face.

Miroku almost jumped from surprise, then sighed when he realized who it was.

"Sango! You scared me!" he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't seem as amused as he did. Her cold stare never soften and he cautiously removed his hand. He warily asked, "Something wrong?"

"I want to know something," she said firmly. "Well… actually I want to know a lot of things. But I want to know this one thing the most!"

Her stone-hard seriousness made Miroku want to laugh. Her hard tone didn't match her clumsy words and her attempt at being stern fell a little short. Nevertheless, he stayed quiet and waited for her to continue.

"Miroku…" she started slowly. "I…-do you….? Um… Well I want to know… Is it true that…"

"Come on, Sango. I'm going to fall asleep before you finish your sentence if you keep going at this rate." Miroku rolled his eyes jokingly.

With a harsh glare, the brunette woman turned around and stormed off.

"Forget it!" she hollered. Miroku shrugged his shoulders and plopped down on the couch to watch television

* * *

"_Ask him now, Sango," _she told herself._ "Ask him now while you're calm and collected."_

Shifting slightly in the bed, Sango gulped and took a peak over the Great Wall of Pillows. Even with his back to her, he looked stunningly attractive. She closed her eyes, trying to keep her concentration, and spoke.

"Miroku?" she whispered tentatively. He stirred lightly and turned his head to look at her through sleepy eyes. The tiny gleam of moonlight coming in from the window was enough for Sango to see well in the dark.

"What is it?" Miroku answered in a tired drawl. He rubbed one eye and yawned.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Why are you an escort?" Sango said quietly, getting straight to the point.

"What?"

"Why do you… do what you do?" she repeated.

"Why does anyone work? Because money is necessary for life. I don't want to be homeless, do you?" he answered simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, that's not what I meant. You could have chosen any job but you picked escorting, of all things."

"I think I'm good at what I do, don't you? And it supports me so well that I never have to worry about finances."

"No shit. You cost a small fortune." Sango smacked Miroku in the face with a pillow and smiled in spite of herself.

"Money makes the world go 'round, my dear," Miroku said with a smirk. He turned onto his side to face Sango completely.

"But still, you could have taken on some other job; something with just as much money but a little less shady."

"Are you calling my line of work shady?" Miroku said mockingly. He propped himself up on one elbow and gave her an expectant look. Suppressing a laugh, Sango shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. I meant it's not…" Her words slowly trailed off.

The dim illumination of the moon cast its light over the man next to her. He was still almost a complete stranger to her, like some guy she just picked up off the street. They knew nothing about each other, and yet, Sango felt like he knew her better than anyone else in the world. It was like he'd always been here in the bed next to her. It felt so natural to have him close. She needed him close.

Miroku snapped a finger in front of her face and broke her train of thought. Quickly clearing her head, Sango continued.

"Sorry. I meant to say you're career just isn't conventional," she stumbled. _"How embarrassing."_

"Conventional? What, you mean like a desk job?" Miroku said with a chuckle. Sango scowled.

"There's nothing wrong with a normal, conventional job!" She lifted herself up to lean on her elbow like Miroku was doing and looked him hard in the eye, daring him to disagree with her.

"But why bother trying to conform when you were meant to stick out?" Miroku whispered softly.

"Well, you sure have a high opinion of yourself," mocked Sango with a sly smile.

"Actually," Miroku corrected. "I was referring to you."

The smile disappeared and an expression of shock took its place. Sango was speechless. Did Miroku just genuinely compliment her?

He was just "acting" again, Sango assumed.

She rolled her eyes and playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I just don't see how someone can get into that kind of career. Were you a stripper first, or something?"

Miroku laughed quietly. He had a very warm and pleasant laugh.

"No, I can truthfully say that I've never been a stripper. At least not a _stage_ stripper, if you know what I mean," he said in his famous fake seductive tone. A light blush spread across Sango's cheeks. It was a good thing that the light was too dim to tell.

"Don't you ever feel a little bit embarrassed about your work? Don't you find it kind of demeaning?" probed Sango.

"I sell my company, in all its forms. It's as simple as that. What's there to be ashamed of?"

"Maybe that it makes look like you're whoring yourself out for cash," said Sango without a moment's thought. As soon as those words left her mouth, she slapped one hand over it and begged it not to go on. _"Oops"_

"Do you think I'm whoring myself out to you, Sango?"

"Well… no. But that's because I set up the specific limits that-"

"So what makes you think that you're the only customer who's ever done that?"

"I guess that… I suppose I didn't-"

"You are not the only woman of virtue in the world, Sango. Not every person I escort wants to have sex with me."

"_I can't imagine why," _said a voice in the dark corner of Sango's mind. She shook her head and wordlessly told herself, _"Stop that! That's sick! You're in control here, Sango. Not your body."_

"And the ones that do," Miroku went on, "are normally ones who are too scared or pressed for time to have sex in the boundaries of a real relationship."

His tone was starting to get a little harsher and stronger. She had obviously gotten under his skin by comparing him to a whore. She was almost _hurt_ by his callousness. He'd never spoken to her like that before and it was shocking, not to mention scary, to have him so on edge like this. She tried to change the subject to the best of her ability.

"Did you ever love one? A customer, I mean," Sango asked curiously.

"No. Never. I've never been in love."

Suddenly, Sango's seriousness was washed away by the overwhelming sadness she felt. He had never been in love? He had never know what that was like?

Part of her felt sorry for him… and another part felt sorry for herself.

"That's sad," she whispered in a tender, pained voice.

"Why? Of all people, I never would have thought **you** would be the one to find that depressing."

"Whatever. Forget about it," Sango said brusquely. She rolled over on her side and put her back to Miroku and pouted angrily.

There was a moment of complete silence where Sango just laid there and fumed silently. What was wrong with her thinking it was sad? There was no rule that said she wasn't allowed to at least pity him. Sango might not have been the most loving or emotional woman in the world, but she was still a woman. She still had a heart. It was insulting that he thought of her as being so uncaring.

There was a rustling behind her as Miroku shifted some more and she felt a pillow being removed from behind her back. She idly wondered what he was doing. She promptly reasoned that he was just getting comfortable, but the next thing she felt was a hand placed on her shoulder.

"I never fell in love with one," whispered a throaty voice in her ear. "But I've been attracted before."

His breath in her ear was sending her off the walls. She closed her eyes and tried to manage her own breathing as Miroku lingered by her ear and slowly tortured her. His lips accidentally brushed the edge of her ear and she almost twitched from pleasure.

"_He said it himself. Attraction. Not love. Attraction. That's all this is. Just Attraction. Don't let yourself go for something as shallow as that,"_ her mind commanded. However, no matter how many times she repeated that word, the word that should have made her come to her senses, it wasn't enough to discourage her. She was losing herself and she loved every minute of it.

Letting out a sigh, Sango titled her head back just a fraction of an inch and Miroku took it as a welcome. He carefully swept the tip of his tongue over the shell of her ear and smiled in satisfaction when Sango let out a gasp. All formalities and subtleties were forgotten. At this point, they were beyond being respectful or even sensible.

He lightly grazed his teeth along the very tip of her ear, every once in a while biting it gently. He could feel her shudder and tremble while he barely touched her. It didn't take an expert to realize that it had been a while since Sango had been with a man. Her body was desperate for this, whether she wanted it or not. The hand that had rested on her shoulder slipped down to lay on her thigh and his fingers brushed along the bare skin that the small shorts didn't cover. Kicking away the rest of the pillows, Miroku tore down the separation and pressed himself closer to Sango. This was all she could stand. She turned over and grabbed Miroku by the back of the head before jerking his head down to kiss her.

Just like before, the hidden passion between the two ignited and they became slaves to their wild desires within seconds of contact. Miroku hastily rolled on top of Sango and their lips crashed together once again. As their tongues danced madly in their mouths, Sango's fingers raked along Miroku's back and she couldn't help but moan when one of his hands crept up her tank top. She could feel the tip of his erection jabbing her on her inner thigh as their jagged breathing filled the room. That just made her even more aroused.

His mouth left hers and traveled down to her neck. He furiously kissed and sucked there like he was going crazy, and his hand reached up to cup her breast. She tangled her fingers in his hair and squeezed her eyes shut as Miroku licked and kissed and nipped down her neck. It felt like forever that they laid there like that just devouring each other.

Without either of them realizing it, their hips started rocking back and forth at their own pace and both quietly moaned. Their bodies knew what to do even if their minds didn't realize it. The heat from their own bodies combined with the hot air from their panting made them slick with sweat and they had hardly done anything yet. Still unconsciously grinding into each other, Sango was hit with a moment of good judgment.

Like any good person being overwhelmed by temptation, Sango's conscience was trying to talk her out of this. It was beseeching her to stop before it was too late, but her rampant cravings dismissed the idea without a second thought. All she could think about was the sensation churning between her legs. She needed more.

There was something that made her apprehensive, though. She couldn't do through with this, it wasn't right. She slowly tried to push Miroku away but he responded only by pinning one of her hands above her head and kissing harder. Again, she attempted to decelerate their speed by saying his name to get his attention. She still had no luck. He had already turned into an animal, succumbing to his lust.

Her last plea for sanity came.

"Don't try my self-control, Miroku," she whimpered. "I'll do something that I'll hate myself for later."

All of a sudden, Miroku froze. Slowly pulling away to look at her, he gazed deep into her eyes. To his dismay, they were full of fear and warning. Instantly, he felt overcome with shame.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he mumbled. He had never tripped over his own words before but, for the life of him, he couldn't think of anything to say.

He wordlessly moved off of her and escaped into the bathroom. When he had shut the door and locked it, he flicked on the light and squinted from the brightness.

"_I hate bright lights,"_ he thought in aggravation. His real anger was not pointed at the lights, though. It was at himself. He was such a fool for doing it again. He'd already screwed it up once by going to fast. Here he was again, forcing it all to go way too fast. Miroku rubbed his eyes and temples roughly in his humiliation and thought about how Sango was probably feeling. Poor Sango probably felt like she almost got raped by the sex-crazed man who was supposed to be working for her. He felt so stupid and afraid of the damage he might have done.

He looked down to see a little nuisance under his sweat pants. The question was whether to take care of it or take a cold shower.

He quickly chose the shower and turned on the shower head.

Out in the bedroom, Sango listened as the water pelted the smooth bottom of the bathtub.

A mix of disgust, shame, and irritation flooded her mind while she listened to the shower water raining down on the irresistible man in her bathroom. It never should have gone that far. In fact, it never should have started. She never should have asked questions. He never should have whispered in her ear. They should have stopped before it escalated to such intensity.

There were so many things that **should** have happened, but none of them did. Instead, they gave into the enticement of each other and look where it put them. How was she supposed to face Miroku tomorrow, or even tonight when he came out of the bathroom? She just wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out so she would never have to deal with this embarrassment and confusion.

The very worst part of it all was she realized how absolutely, undoubtedly, and irreversibly in love with him she was.

* * *

Author's Note: Holy shit! It's been waaaaaaay too long since I updated. I'm really sorry, you guys! I had a day off from work so I decided to staple my pants to the chair (not literally) and finish this freaking chapter! Plus, I was hit with a buttload of inspiration today. I _NEEDED_ to write. 

I have a question for you guys!! (_READ READ READ_) Going with the general storyline of the movie, there's a love scene between the two main characters. I'm not going to disappoint you all and skip it but I'd like to know HOW you'd like me to write it? Do you want it tastefully done or with a little more detail? I'm willing to write either one. So REVIEW AND TELL ME!!

**Pegelia Von Borrador**: Omg, I know!! was being retarded that night. It took me 3 or 4 tries to get this freaking thing updated! And I'm glad that you were impressed by my goals. I'm glad to see that you guys respect me as a writer and enjoy reading my work. : )

**Demon Exterminator Barbie:** I think the finished product will be the real treasure. I'm still working out the rough edges on the whole story, but I think everyone will be happy with it. (P.S. – Woman, I love you. Queer as Folk is WONDERFUL!!)

**Sangorulz**: I hate that when my parents interrupt me while reading fics! Wow! That's great that you can relate to both of them so well! I completely relate to Sango, which is why I chose to write from her point of view. Glad to hear you're liking it!

**Kristin-a-dette**: I love keeping Miroku's mind a little unreadable. It makes you feel like you're almost in the situation of Sango, wondering what the hell is going through his head. And don't worry, there will be plenty of TENSION coming up. ; )

**Natsu I**.: I'm sorry, but I really wasn't sure what you meant in your review. I know I mentioned that easterners are better at martial arts than westerners but I don't recall anything else that might look like I was taking a hit at Americans. I don't have anything against Americans, in fact both of my parents were born and raised in America. I apologize for offending you. It was all meant to be in good fun, nothing personal.

And RedRogue, didn't you send me a review? I know I got one from you but you or someone else deleted it. : ( I really enjoy getting your reviews.

Thank you to everyone you responded in reviews!


	8. The Game of Love

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe.

* * *

The next few days were… awkward, to say the least. It made Sango crazy just wondering what was going through her escort's head. One moment he seemed to be obsessed with her, and the next he was ignoring her. 

"_It's probably better this way_," she had reasoned. "_After this is all over, things go back to the way they were. Back to normal and the way things were supposed to be._"

She wondered why that made her feel a little sad.

The group— Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi— decided to make a day of fun just a week before the wedding itself. Everyone was under an immense amount of stress (especially Kagome) and everyone thought it'd be healthy to get out, blow off some steam, and have a good time (especially Inuyasha). They settled on a game of baseball.

"We're playing what?!" Kagome exclaimed when they got to the field. They decided to play on an old park field instead of an actual baseball diamond because otherwise, they had to rent a place. Plus, Yuka argued that a place like that has more character than a real baseball diamond anyway. It was supposed to remind them of when they were kids and used any space they found to play. Despite all that, Kagome was a little less than thrilled.

"What's wrong with baseball?" asked Inuyasha peevishly. This fun outing already seemed to be turning sour.

"I **suck** at baseball," Kagome whined as she wiped her hand down her face in frustration.

"It doesn't matter if you're good or not. You're just supposed to have fun," Eri said optimistically.

"Besides," Miroku commented. "It doesn't matter how good you are because you're going to lose anyway."

Kagome giggled and gave a playful glare. "To whom, might I ask?"

"To me," interjected Sango, slinging the bat over her shoulder and walking ahead of them.

The groups split up pretty neatly. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Yuka were on one team while Miroku, Sango, and Eri were on the other. Ayumi decided to sit out to be scorekeeper even though no one actually paid attention to the scores once they got going, so she ended up being the neutral cheerleader.

Sango had always been a competitive person and since she greatly excelled in sports, it gave her that much more of a reason to play hard. It was imperative that she won. Everything. In high school, she had done every available sport: baseball, basketball, volleyball, track, lacrosse, swim team, soccer, and powder puff football whenever she could. When she finally settled on sport martial arts, she had gone through every other sport like an out of control fireball. No one wanted to be in her way. She credited her love for sport martial arts to the fact that it was the point to beat the crap out of your opponent.

She hadn't played a team sport since her teenaged days and it made her almost nostalgic and she was invigorated at the idea of competition. Well, as much competition you could get from a team that only had one decent player. Nevertheless, it was a mission to complete, a goal to reach, an obstacle to overcome and conquer.

"_This is gonna be fun,"_ Sango thought with a wicked smile on her face.

Using old mitts, a rusty metal bat, a worn out ball, and old textbooks as the bases, the game began. It started off slow and a little uneventful but it didn't make Sango bring down her intensity. Her first turn at bat, she hit the ball on the first try and made it to second base before Inuyasha trapped her. Miroku turned out to be a pretty good player himself. He came into the game seeming too mellow to really be a help but when he stepped up to the plate his second time around, he effortlessly hit a pop fly that gave him third base and Sango a home run. If Yuka had been paying attention enough to see the ball coming in her direction, she would have caught it and gotten him out. Fortunately for Sango and Miroku's team, she was a slow starter when she played sports.

It was a relaxed game for the most part, despite the obvious rivalry between overly-competitive Inuyasha and Sango. There was a little "playing talk" going back and forth, like that was supposed to intimidate the other team or something.

Or something.

Eri turned out to be the game's most useless player but she was the source of a lot of entertainment that afternoon. It was good to have a bad player in the game or else it would have been hard to keep it light and fun. Once they'd reached their fifth inning, Sango and Inuyasha had softened up and just started to play for pleasure rather than a win. Everyone was just starting to enjoy themselves.

Then they heard a voice calling from across the field.

Inuyasha stopped right before he threw his pitch to Sango and listened for a second.

"We have a visitor," he said sarcastically. Everyone stopped for a moment to peer in the distance where a figure was closing in. The voice got louder, more understandable.

"Sango!" called the voice, obviously belonging to a man. "Hey there, everyone!"

"_No. Freaking. Way,"_ Sango thought, frozen in her place. "_This can't be real. This has to be a bad dream or something. How the _hell _did he find me?"_

"Who is it?" inquired Yuka. She put up a hand to shade her eyes from the bright sun and looked harder.

By this time, the man had come close enough to recognize his face. He was a taller man with shaggy brown hair pulled back into a small ponytail and a kind face that a golden retriever might have as a human. Kagome gasped and Inuyasha sniffed indignantly. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as he came closer, namely in Sango's direction. When Sango glanced over at Miroku for a moment, his questioning stare was confused and slightly irritated. She gave him an apologetic smile. When she turned back, the intruding was lunging at her to embrace her.

"Oh! Oh my!" she exclaimed a little awkwardly. She tried to pull it off as a joke but she only succeeded in sounding embarrassed. "Hello there, Kuranoske."

"It's fantastic to see you, Sango!" His overly enthusiastic tone made the other two boys roll their eyes. He sounded like a little puppy dog. You know, the kind who's obnoxious and mouthy and runs into glass doors but he's too sweet and harmless for anyone to be mean to even though he gets on everyone's nerves. Yeah, he was that kind of puppy dog.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Sango asked gently with a forced smile. She didn't want to sound mean or unwelcoming but she really did not need him here right now.

"I heard you were back in town for Kagome's wedding and so I went to visit you at your house. But you were gone and your parents said you were here with everyone!"

"_Traitors! The both of them, traitors!!"_ Sango thought angrily. But she softened her face and tried to sound happy, or at least tolerant. "How nice."

Miroku, who had been standing passively to the side, now saw this as his cue to come in and rescue Sango. This was obviously some admirer and she was feeling uncomfortable, so it'd be easy to wave him off when Miroku asserted himself as Sango's "boyfriend."

"Hi there," Miroku quickly cut in. He stuck out his hand firmly and flashed a warm smile. "I'm Miroku, nice to meet you."

"Hello," Kuranoske said back, obviously feeling a little put off. He shook Miroku's hand half-heartedly. "Kuranoske is my name."

"So I heard." His tone was a little more tart than necessary but Kuranoske didn't seem to notice. Miroku slung an arm around Sango's waist and squeezed a little, hoping she would get the message to formally introduce him.

"Miroku's my boyfriend," Sango said very clumsily. She was starting to stiffen again at the unfamiliar touch. Miroku hadn't done more than put his hand on her shoulders since their little incident a couple of days ago and it was strange to feel him touch her again. It was back to square one with their physical relationship.

Kuranoske's eyes widened at the term "boyfriend" and he automatically stuttered, "Oh. Please excuse me. I didn't know."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Miroku smiled and spoke warmly and when Sango looked up at him, he looked completely sincere and genuine. He had no idea who this man was and Sango felt a little guilty for never telling Miroku about Kuranoske. Not that it was really any of Miroku's business, but she still felt like he should have known incase of a situation like this.

"We were just playing a game of baseball," Miroku went on. His intent was to tell Kuranoske that they were busy with something else but he took it as an invitation.

"Really? I love baseball!" he said cheerily. There was a moment of silence where no one knew what to say.

Kagome, feeling overwhelmed by the silence, butted in with, "Well you're free to join us if you'd like."

The moment that escaped her mouth, everyone turned to stare daggers at Kagome. She smiled nervously and she quickly followed that with, "That is, if that's alright with everyone else." They didn't stop glaring.

"Would that be intruding, Sango? I don't want to interrupt anything," said Kuranoske timidly. Sango turned back to look at him and waved her hand dismissively.

"Not… at all!" she assured him reluctantly. _"Wow, this is going to be interesting."_

"We're in our fifth inning, though. It's not like we can start the game over," Inuyasha complained. He knew as well as everyone else how much Sango didn't want Kuranoske here and he was ready to pull out every excuse in the book to get him out of there without literally kicking him off the field.

"That's alright! I'll just jump in here. Don't worry. I won't be a bother or mess things up." His voice was so sincere that everyone felt too sorry for him to tell him no.

"Alright," Sango said in defeat. "Well, Inuyasha's team is behind so you can help them.

"He can take my pla-," Eri tried to offer but Kagome, who was standing next to her, kicked her in the leg before she could finish her sentence.

"Let's start playing then!" interjected Yuka nervously as she threw her fist up in the air, trying to look excited and eager. "Come over here, Kuranoske, and we'll see if we can find you a mitt."

Miroku held on to Sango's waist possessively and waited until Kuranoske was out of ear-short and then whispered to her, "What's going on?"

"He's my ex-fiancé," Sango whispered back, avoiding eye-contact at all costs.

Wow.

The bomb was dropped.

Miroku was stunned. Unable to move, he just stood there with his eyes round and his mind spinning. That explained a lot. Next to him, Sango was a mess of twitches. She was fidgeting and her eyes darted around, never finding a place to rest for more than a second or two.

"Why is he here?" he asked softly. He was being eerily calm and it was making Sango come unglued because she knew he was upset despite his peaceful exterior.

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to him since college," she said back quickly. They started walking back to join the group so they didn't look suspicious but they had to talk fast. There wasn't a moment of silence as they raced to get their words out, sometimes speaking over each other.

"He's your college boyfriend?" snapped Miroku quietly.

"Yeah."

"And you were engaged?"

"Yes."

"Why did you break up?"

"Later, Miroku. This isn't the time for place for this conversation."

"Fine then. Just answer me honestly; do you want him here?"

"Of course not! It's like not it was my idea for him to come. I'd actually really like it if you'd make him feel awkward and then maybe he'll leave," she said hopefully.

"It would be my pleasure," Miroku answered. He smiled mischievously. Sango gave him a quizzical look but he just smiled wider in response. "Let's play."

They made it back to home plate where the rest of the players were gathered. Inuyasha was briefing Kuranoske on the game so far and putting on the pressure.

"Chill out, Inuyasha," laughed Kagome as she placed a hand on her fiancé's shoulder. "It's not like he has such a high standard to live up to."

It was true; their team was losing pretty pathetically even though no one was writing down the points. Inuyasha visibly relaxed at Kagome's touch and cleared his throat before saying, "Well, let's not waste time. Let's start."

Everyone got in position and started back up. Sango's was up to bat again and Sango, their first batter, stepped up with the old bat in hand. She raised it and squeezed it harder and harder as she waited for Inuyasha to pitch. She began getting fidgety again and her palms started to sweat as she wrung the handle of the bat nervously.

She knew what she had to do. She had to smoke the other team even if it was all by herself. She had to blow Kuranoske out of the water to show how much better she still was than him. She had to make him feel uncomfortable. Every guy got nervous when he was losing to a girl, right? It was time to turn up the heat on this game and hope that he got the message.

"_I don't want you."_

Inuyasha took his time winding up but when he finally threw the ball, Sango threw her whole into this one swing that she was sure would knock the ball out of the park, in a manner of speaking. She threw all the power she could muster into this swing and it connected with a loud, satisfying "ping!"

"Foul!" yelled Inuyasha. Sango couldn't believe her ears. She had just put everything into that stupid swing and it'd amounted to what? A foul. She opened her mouth to argue but she couldn't deny how **clearly** out of bounds the ball had landed.

"Damn it!" she shouted viciously.

"Don't worry, Sango. You'll get it next time," Miroku encouraged and clapped.

"Good try, Sango!" Kuranoske called from third base.

"_Shut up and help me hate you,"_ Sango thought bitterly. _"Stop being so nice, you moron."_

Her brows furrowed in concentration and exasperation as she waited for the next pitch. Inuyasha smiled mockingly. He was too involved in the idea of winning the game to have good sportsmanship anymore.

"You ready, Sango?" he taunted as he flipped the ball over in his hand. His t-shirt was soaked with sweat around the collar and Sango felt a drop of sweat slide down her own face. God, it was hot out and the Capri's and sleeveless shirt seemed to be suffocating her.

"Stop stalling!" she called from the plate and tightened her grip on the bat. _"This time I'll make it count."_

Just like before, Inuyasha slowly wound up and then launched the baseball at her at incredible speeds. When it reached her, she threw a brick-breaking swing in an attempt to send it flying and felt it slam into the ball.

"Another foul!" Inuyasha called. Sango was about to argue again but it was it was indisputably out for the second time. And so was she.

"I'm such a retard!" she berated herself. She stomped over to Miroku and shoved the bat at him roughly. She looked hard at him and whispered, "Miss."

She was beyond trying to impress Kuranoske so much that he felt intimidated. After fouling out and looking ridiculous doing it (or so she thought), she was sure that _that_ plan was out. She decided on a different approach. If Miroku struck out then she'd come to his side and tell him what a wondering job he did anyway and that it didn't matter if he missed the ball, while completely ignoring Kuranoske. She'd make herself look so devoted that it looked like a lost cause for Kuranoske to try and win her back. That was evidently why he was there to begin with. She knew him too well to believe that he was just there to catch up and socialize casually. He was there on a mission to get her back and it was painfully obvious. Unfortunately, Kuranoske was never one to realize things when they were painfully obvious. She had to hope that _glaringly obvious_ hints would be enough.

Miroku looked at her for a long time with an unreadable expression then gave a half-smile before walking up to the plate.

He looked relaxed and placid like nothing in the world could get under his skin. Inuyasha pitched his fastball, hoping to catch Miroku off guard but he was more than ready. He powered up and ripped out a monstrous swing that could have beaten through a concrete wall. A loud crack resounded when the bat hit the ball and sent the poor, worn out thing soaring over everyone's heads. The ratty, old ball went clear out of sight and everyone turned their eyes to Miroku, who went strutting around the bases like he had all the time in the world. The opposing team was groaning and complaining while Eri and Ayumi jumped up and down and screamed hysterically at Miroku's home run.

Sango's eyes bulged and then she growled under her breath. He was messing everything up! What did he think he was doing? She glared at him when he made it to home plate. He came up to her with a huge smile splitting his face and hugged her earnestly.

She whispered in his ear as she hesitantly hugged him back, "I thought you wanted to help me."

Miroku pulled away and smiled wider. "Trust me. I am."

Sango glanced over at Kuranoske sideways and saw him with his mouth wide open as he stood out in the middle of the field looking like an idiot. She couldn't help but smiling. Hugging Miroku harder, she kissed him on the cheek and congratulated him.

That was how the rest of the game carried on— that is, once they found the ball again. Miroku suddenly woke from his passive, mellow slumber of indifference and played so hard that even if they had been keeping score, it wouldn't have been worth it. Everyone knew who won. Kuranoske never got a chance to get past first base because Miroku either caught every ball he hit or tagged him with the ball before he could advance to second base. And Kuranoske was no push-over. He'd developed some muscle and coordination since the last time Sango had seen him but there was still no contest. Miroku single-handedly slaughtered the other team and Sango was slightly taken aback and impressed by it all. She had forgotten that she had ordered an athletic guy.

"_I'll have to play him some day,"_ Sango thought idly. Eri was practically worshiping him and even Kagome and Yuka were being good players and congratulating him. Inuyasha and Kuranoske were a little too proud to, though.

Sango's chest swelled with pride. "_That's my boyfriend._"

* * *

"So," Miroku said that night while they were getting ready for bed. They rarely said much to each other when they were alone so his sudden inclination to start a conversation caught Sango off balance. "Am I turning out to be worth all the money you're spending on me?" 

Sango smiled sarcastically. "You're turning out to be more than I expected."

"And what exactly _were_ you expecting, my dear?" he asked with a laugh. He jerked his head back and shook off some water from his hair that was still wet from a thorough shower. Sango's equally damp hair was spread out across her shoulders and left wet marks on her shirt.

"Honestly, a high-maintenance prostitute who confirmed everything I thought about men," Sango said frankly. Miroku laughed and sat down on the bed, placing his hands behind his head in a relaxing fashion.

"Well, isn't that what you got?" Miroku joked. Sango shook her head thoughtfully.

"No," she answered in almost a whisper. "You're more than that."

There was a comfortable silence that followed. It was like neither of them needed to say anything but knew what would have been said.

Sango had given up on trying to be cold to Miroku. That was her original plan to keep him at a safe distance until her ordeal was done with, but now she felt like she had nothing to fear. She wasn't suspicious or afraid of him like she was when they first met. Their relationship had evolved into… an actual friendship. If anyone was to blame it was Miroku. He had this irresistible air about him that made it hard for anyone to feel ill-at-ease or vexatious. There was something undeniably soothing about him that probably gave him his job as a professional escort. He was fantastic at what he did. And so she decided he was worthy of her trust. He was looking out for her and doing her a real favor by keeping her secret. Of course she was paying him, but he went above and beyond what a normal person might do. He was extraordinary.

Sango rung out her hair one final time and watched as a few last drops of water fell from the ends. She went to the bathroom and picked up her hairbrush from the sink and brought it back into the room with her.

She had noticed how Miroku used barely any sort of toiletries. There was a toothbrush and toothpaste and that covered his entire collection of hygienic items. It wasn't fair that someone could be that attractive just with a shower and a toothbrush when people like Sango needed a bath kit, a make up bag, and an expensive hairdryer in addition to all the normal things.

She sat down on the bed and brushed her long hair carefully. She was particularly gentle with her hair since it had the tendency to break and damage easily. To Sango, brushing her hair correctly after a shower was just as crucial as putting on her make up in the morning.

As she was brushing through her thick hair, she came across one exceptionally harsh knot that pulled painfully on all the wrong places on her head. She looked down at it and commented to herself how it looked like a rat's nest in her hair. There was a gentle chuckle behind her and Miroku reached over and took the brush from her.

"Let me do it," he said, as if it was painful to him watch her try and fight the knot by herself. He scooted to her side of the bed and took the afore-mentioned chunk of hair in hand and gingerly brush out the snarl. She hardly felt a thing.

"Had a lot of experience with long hair?" Sango asked sarcastically.

"I've helped a number of women get ready," he explained with a soft laugh. He started running the brush through the rest of her hair, taking his time and being careful with the other smaller knots. She sat tamely on the edge of the bed while he sat behind her and finished the rest of her hair.

There was something comforting about it all. It felt as if there was nothing that could touch her when she was with Miroku. The unspoken security and safety was something Sango had never been used to. Her entire life, she'd had to fend for herself. Her parents were rarely there when she really needed them. Her father believed strongly in "tough love" and tried to make Sango as self-sufficient as possible. He had a good idea of how hard it was to live in the real world and he was probably trying to help, but he just ended up giving Sango a heavier burden in life than she ever wanted. She knew Inuyasha and Kagome were there for her but they always had each other as their main priority. Sango was always second on the list. Even with guys she dated, Sango always felt like she was the man in the relationship. There had always been so much weight on her shoulders that her boyfriend never seemed to help with. Even when she had someone, she was alone.

Kuranoske was the worst of all. He had promised to take care of her and be there to provide for her but he couldn't even completely take care of himself. How, then, was he supposed to take care of a whole other person? Sango always seemed to be picking up the slack when Kuranoske couldn't handle it all and that happened far too much.

All of a sudden, here comes with man who makes her feel like there's nothing to worry about. This man made her think that someone might help bear her burden when she needed it the most. He gave her hope that there were decent men left in the world. For the first time, she didn't feel helpless even though she wasn't completely independent or in control. She felt protected. Miroku made her feel like it was ok… to be weak. To be a woman.

He handed her the hairbrush and broke her out of her thoughts when he was done combing through her hair. "You really have beautiful hair."

"Thank you," replied Sango with an authentic smile on her lips.

Then they wordlessly climbed into bed, turned out the lights, and went to sleep.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was a tad shorter than the rest but I had to cut it off there. It took me almost 6 hours to finish this. Kind of sad, huh? First, I wanted to clarify that I KNOW they weren't playing actual baseball in The Wedding Date. It's a British variation of it but I know baseball better so I thought it'd be easier to go off of that game instead.

Second, I'd like to remind you all who have forgotten who** Kuranoske** is. In the episode "Only You, Sango" you meet him. He had met Sango six years prior to their reunion (which conveniently fits in with this story) when he watched her perform an extermination and he is convinced that she is the woman he should marry. She rejects him in the end to continue her quest to kill Naraku but everyone knows that Miroku had a big part in that decision. :D

I hope you guys are starting to get Sango better. I know she seemed a little harsh and cold in the beginning but I want you all to understand _why_ that is. I want Sango to feel like a real person to you all.

**Demon Exterminator Barbie**: AH! Glad you liked it:D (If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? You don't have to tell me but I'm curious.)

**Dark Darianna Minamino**: I think I'm going to use your idea and go for a happy medium for the upcoming scene. Here's the next chapter! You can finally get off that flippin' chair of your's now! lol :P

**Sangorulz**: Yeah, I was seriously thinking about upping the rating but PG-13 movies can say the f-word like 5 times… or was it 2 times?... I don't remember. But I figured that if they can do that, I can pull off my story with just a T rating. :P Yeah, my parents have the tendency to go back through my history and see what I've been doing. They have a special program that tracks it and rates how bad each website is. (laughs nervously) At least they don't know this story is mine.

**Lafia Anua Mehono**: Thanks so much! I always love it when there's a "take-charge" girl in a story. Call a feminist, but I love it when the girl _doesn't_ need a guy. But we'll find that even if she doesn't want it, Sango does need Miroku in her own way. That's awesome that I could brighten your day like that! I HATE those hard-core homework days. I've had a lot of those lately so I can totally sympathize. I blame that for month long delay of updating.

**Pegelia Von Borrador**: LOL!!! I'm happy to hear you liked it so much. ;) I guess you could call it my guilty pleasure to have/read scenes like that. I might have gotten a tad carried away but not so much that it destroyed it. I couldn't do that to my own fic. But this story needed some serious tension in it. And I like that it plays on Sango's indecision when all that happens. The inner conflict is necessary. I liked how this chapter turned out more sweet than sexy, though. But in a subtle way.

**Andrien**: GASP!! Homework??! Only squares do their homework!!... and me. :P

But here are some actually worthwhile fics to read if any of you guys gets bored. I'm particularly fond of media miner so there are a few from there. The ones in bold are my favorites.

Inuyasha and Kagome:

"Dead Famous" by Rozefire at fanfiction

"**The Love of Art"** by angelbabe17 at mediaminer(dot)org (SMUT WARNING)

"**Bottled Genius"** by Rozefire at fanfiction

"The Lucky Ones" by terri botta mediaminer(dot)org (SMUT WARNING)

"Possession by" Wheezambu at fanfiction (SMUT WARNING)

Sango and Miroku:

"The Opposites of Attraction" by Aamalie at fanfiction

"Stripped" by Siren of Erised at fanfiction

"**Someone Out There"** by DESPERAD0 at fanfiction

_Thank you to all my reviewers!! You guys are the only reason I kept up with this story._


	9. The Role of a Woman

Title: Love is a Lie

Full Summary: Sango, an independent feminist, has to return home to Tokyo for her best friend Kagome's wedding. However, everyone there is anxious to meet the long-talked-about boyfriend whom Sango is supposed to be seeing. Desperate to keep up with her lie, she hires Miroku, a charming date professional, to be her escort to the wedding and pose as her boyfriend. Alternate Universe.

* * *

Sango sat calmly on the edge of the sandy beach with her feet at the edge of the water. The tide rhythmically drew back and pushed forth the ocean water up to her toes and she sighed peacefully. The sun had just set and the sky was a splash of colors. Pink, gold, and purple tinged the darkening sky and she leaned her head back, letting her hair fall in the sand behind her, to admire the view. She took a moment to loosen the hair band and let her hair out of the high ponytail and allowed it to slacken into a lower, loose ponytail.

The breeze tickled her skin and she heard the sound of approaching footsteps in the sand. When she turned to see who it was, she smiled immediately.

"Kuranoske," she said pleasantly. He smiled back and sat down near her. They situated themselves so Kuranoske was seated directly behind Sango and she lay against his chest, and she listened to his regular heartbeat. Her eyes rested half-closed and a smile graced her lips as he ran his fingers through her hair.

This was how she always wanted it to be, with him so close.

"Sango?" said Kuranoske hesitantly. She hummed in reply. "I need to ask you something."

She leaned her head to the side with her eyes still on the horizon and said, "What is it?"

"It's just that… I… I love you very much, Sango," stammered Kuranoske very ungracefully. He fidgeted slightly. "And I… that is, I was hoping…"

Sango chuckled. He was always so unsure of himself. She sat up on her heels and turned to him. Ever so lightly, she pecked him on the lips and patted the side of his face tenderly.

"What is it, Kuranoske?" she repeated. He looked in her eyes with the most pleading and nervous look and took a deep breath.

"Sango?" His voice was serious. "Will you marry me?"

For a second, the only sound came from the waves crashing on the shore. They both stared at each other, completely frozen by shock. Then all of a sudden, the realization hit her. Her eyes began to well up with tears and she gave a wide smile. Her entire body bubbled with a tingling feeling of joy.

"Y-yes," she stuttered as she wiped one eye. "Yes."

The world was a blur as Kuranoske gently grasped the back of her neck and drew her to his lips. The tears flowed freely down Sango's face and she grabbed her fiancé by the jaw and they kissed. The edges of her vision hazed and she lost herself in the moment. The joy made her feel light enough to walk on air and she could have sworn that she couldn't feel the ground anymore.

After what felt like an eternity, they parted and Miroku smiled blissfully in front of her.

* * *

Sango awoke with a jolt to a pitch black room and she could feel the thin sheet of sweat covering her forehead. She quickly rubbed her forehead dry and turned over in her bed to see the time.

3:28 A.M.

She groaned and then plopped her head back on the pillow. She pried her eyes open in the darkness to stare where she was sure the ceiling was. She could still feel her heartbeat racing from waking so suddenly and she worked to even out her breathing again.

The lump next to her rustled next to her and a deep, drowsy voice asked, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," she drawled sleepily. She screwed her eyes shut and rubbed them roughly before audibly taking a breath in through her nose and mumbling, "Weird dream."

How long had it been since she'd thought of that day?

* * *

She was late. She hated being late.

After waking up in the three o'clock hour thanks to her odd dream, she hadn't been able to fall back asleep for another hour or so. She finally fell back into sleep and was startled by a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and looked around the room to see Miroku standing up and already dressed.

"Sango, it's already 11:30. You should probably get up," he had said. And before he could say anything else, she had flown out of the bed and into the bathroom.

So here she was rushing to get ready. Today was the day that she and Kagome were supposed to go to a spa together. For everyone's health, the wedding party had been going on little relaxing mini-vacations. Today was supposed to be Kagome and Sango's vacation day. And she had slept through some of it already.

She finished sloppily putting make up on and tied her hair up. After that, she bolted out of the bathroom and dashed to her suitcase to find clothes.

Miroku chuckled behind her.

"Shut up. Don't make fun of me," she said crossly.

"I never said anything," he said in a mock-defensive tone, and he held his hands up as if to protect himself from her accusations.

"You didn't have to," said Sango before turning around and locking herself in the bathroom again to change. She grabbed her cell phone on her way in. Desperate to hurry, she punched Kagome's number into her phone and tore off the sweatpants that she had slept in at the same time. With much skill and careful precision, she managed to change completely while still keeping the phone to her ear.

Kagome's voice answered in a rush. "Hello?"

"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! I know I was supposed to be over at eight but overslept. I'll be over to pick you up in just a few minutes!"

"Alright! I was wondering what happened to you. _I_ was about to come over there and get you." Her friend laughed good-naturedly. God, Sango loved Kagome. She was always so forgiving.

"Don't worry. I'll be there as soon as I can," Sango replied with a reassuring smile, as if it mattered whether or not she smiled. It wasn't like Kagome could see her to be reassured. With that, she snapped her phone shut and set it carefully on the edge of the sink, making sure it wouldn't fall off. The last thing she wanted was to be late AND break her razor phone.

She threw a n unbuttoned shirt over her tank top and pulled on some jeans. She shoved her ratty sneakers on to complete her almost grungy look and then ran out the door at mach speed, grabbing her purse and keys on her way out.

A loud screech erupted from the Taijiya driveway as Sango peeled out in the Focus. She silently prayed that there were no policemen in the area to catch her speeding almost twenty miles over the speed limit on her way to Kagome's house.

When she did finally pull up to the Higurashi shrine stairs, Kagome was sitting patiently on the last stair with her chin placed in her hand. When Sango arrived, her face lit up with happiness. Wordlessly, she threw open the passenger door and climbed in. No sooner did she shut it than did Sango floor the gas pedal and they went speeding off to the spa.

There wasn't time to talk, and Sango was so tense and stressed from rushing that she wouldn't have been able to talk without sounding snippy. The car ride was short and silent.

* * *

"Higurashi reservation?" the woman at the front desk repeated inquisitively. She was a tall, skinny, middle-aged woman with impeccably beautiful skin. "Wasn't that supposed to be at nine o'clock this morning?"

The lady looked expectantly over her thick-rimmed glasses at the two girls before her. Sango wrung her hands and looked at the floor guiltily. She knew it was all her fault that they probably lost their reservation. But this was no time to feel sorry for herself! She stood up straight and putting on her business woman mentality, she calmly explained to the receptionist that they had run a few minutes late due to personal emergency.

Kagome threw her an incredulous look as if to say, _"When did oversleeping become a personal emergency?"_

Keeping her composure and retaining a grave face, the receptionist flipped through her scheduling book and her finger followed along where she read.

"Well, I'm sorry but we had to cancel your reservation. The only thing I can do it reschedule you but the best I can get you is the appointment at two o'clock."

"That'll work fine," replied Sango. She took a quick glance at her watch and realized that was an hour and a half away. What were she and Kagome supposed to do during that time? Nevertheless, she thanked the woman and walked Kagome outside.

"That was amazing, Sango!" exclaimed Kagome, flinging her arms in the air. "Do you know how hard it is to get a reservation to that spa, let alone a rescheduled reservation?"

"It didn't seem like it was very busy. I mean, there was no one sitting in the lobby," Sango noted casually. She didn't exactly see what the big deal was.

Kagome squealed and hopped from one foot to the other childishly. "You didn't even have to try! I love having a business executive for a friend. This health resort is practically platinum club here! My mom said she had to save up for almost a year to get us in, and you just convinced the freaking receptionist that we deserved a reschedule!"

Sango laughed merrily at her friend and they headed to the car. It was nice to be admired every once in a while.

"What should we do while we wait?" asked Sango as she looked up at the sky for a moment.

"We probably shouldn't go anywhere because it's only a little over an hour until we can get our spa treatments. I saw we relax in the car for a while."

"But do we really want to sit in the car when it's getting boiling hot outside? And it'll waste so much gas to keep the air on inside it," Sango replied pessimistically.

"Well, then let's wait in the lobby. They had chairs there so why not? And we'll just waste time doing something like… I don't know. Playing cards. I have a deck in the bag that I brought for just such a time as this." Kagome smiled contently and they stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

"Well then there's no point in going to the car," said Sango and they turned around and headed toward the spa entrance. Kagome slung her bag over her shoulder as they pulled open the glass door and walked inside to the pleasant air conditioning.

The receptionist looked surprised when they walked in again but she said nothing. Making themselves comfortable in the cushy seats, Kagome and Sango whipped out the deck of playing cards and started a quick game of crazy eights.

The game soon changed to Speed, then Five Card Draw, then Five Card Stud. They changed the game four or five times before two o'clock and sat there laughing and chatting animatedly in the lobby. They lost all sense of sophistication as they pulled their feet up onto the chair and tucked them under themselves, paying no mind to the woman at the front desk sending them side-long glances.

It was like old times, when they were teenagers. Sango was filled with the wonderful feeling of nostalgia as she giggled and joked with her best friend.

In the back of her mind, she wondered why she had left Japan. There was still so much there that she loved and missed. It had taken her until now to realize how much she missed Kohaku and Inuyasha and Kagome, most of all. What made her change her mind? What had been so appealing about leaving? Whatever could have driven her to move to the states?

She wanted to stay in this card game for hours, but their fun was cut short when the receptionist finally called their attention and announced that they could go in for their appointment. With a triumphant hoot, Kagome gathered up the cards and, with Sango, followed the woman through the wooden double-doors that lead to the spa areas.

The first stop on their agenda was to the massage therapy room where they were supposed to get full-body massages. Waiting for them in the room were two gloriously beautiful men in white uniforms. Kagome growled playfully just loud enough for her friend to hear and Sango nudged her with her elbow.

"You're getting married in five days!" Sango hissed. Then she added quickly, "And I have a boyfriend!"

"And isn't it great that they're hotter than either of these guys," Kagome giggled quietly with a mischievous smile. Sango blushed and stared at the floor without answering.

The two masseurs led them to the changing rooms where the girls were told to remove their clothes. They were to wear the special health spa towels while being given their massage therapy and could wear the robes for the rest of their stay.

Kagome made a few lewd jokes about being naked and getting massages before both of the women returned to the massage therapy tables. While Kagome was rather comfortable only being clad in a thin towel, Sango was feeling slightly self-conscious. She was especially self-conscious about her large breasts which always seemed to attract more attention that she ever desired getting. She caught Kagome's masseur sneaking a glance and she smiled secretly. In most cases, she would be angry that she was being "inspected" so openly but this time, she felt almost flattered.

Sango had always been shy around attractive men, and it didn't help that this man was particularly attractive and was about to be rubbing his hands all over her nearly bare body. She blushed furiously at that thought and stepped carefully up to the massaging table and laid down on her back as her masseur directed.

The massage started almost right away and she and Kagome spent most of the time talking about how magnificent it felt. In between their praises, they chatted about nothing in particular.

"So what are we doing after this?" Sango asked with her eyes closed. They had flipped over onto their stomach now and she was getting a completely divine back rub. Kagome sighed in pleasure then replied.

"After this, we're getting facials… and waxing… and manicures," she listed. She folded her arms in front of her and set her chin on them.

"Waxing? Where are we getting waxed?" Sango's voice was slightly afraid.

"Well, I **am** getting married in just a few days," she started suggestively.

"You can't be serious," said Sango disbelievingly. "Do I have to, too?"

"It's a joint reservation. Of course you do!" Kagome said laughing. "But we're getting our legs waxed too. But I'm sure Miroku would appreciate some bikini waxing."

Sango's face burned with a blush yet again and she stammered, "Miroku and I don't… we haven't slept together."

"Really?" asked the younger girl with surprise. "Well, I'm glad to know that Inuyasha and I aren't the only couple who haven't done it yet."

Sango's eyes shot open suddenly. She lifted up her head and looked over at Kagome. "But you and Inuyasha have been dating since high school. It's been over ten years!"

"I know. We're like the eighth world wonder. Not to say that we haven't come close, and it's not like Inuyasha hasn't put up a fight." Kagome spoke of it so lightly like it was as normal as talking about the weather.

"I can imagine," laughed Sango. It was kind of nice to know that her friends were still on the same page as her. Astonishing as it was, it was comforting. Even Sango and Kuranoske had never… been together.

Knowing that Miroku had been with so many women made him seem almost intimidating. She could never measure up to them, she was sure. What could she offer? She was cold and distant and practically afraid of physical contact. She knew she wasn't appealing at all.

Not that it mattered if she had anything to offer him. She mentally slapped herself. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't real. It was an act. It was a lie.

But _love_ was a lie. At one point, Sango had believed there was such a thing as love. She had believed with all her heart that love wasn't just something they talked about in story books or movies. Love was a real thing that was worth the tears and the heartache that normally came with it. However, love is fleeting no matter how glorious it is. That abhorrent word, love, didn't mean a thing to her now and she doubted that it was ever real in the first place.

She suddenly felt her chest tighten and her mouth pull into a frown. There was a pull in her throat that alerted her that she might cry if she didn't get herself under control. She could feel the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"_Why did you have to reappear? Kuranoske_…" She couldn't bear to think of him again. She took in a deep breath and had to remind herself of all the reasons why she had cancelled their wedding before she could feel sorry for herself or for him.

"_He was intolerable,"_ she thought to herself. _"He was always making me feel that I was less than him because I was a woman."_

_Now_ she remembered why she wanted to move to the states. She wanted to live in a place where her gender didn't matter so much. She could be a woman and still do everything a man could (besides pee standing up). On top of that, she wanted to get away from him. It was cowardly, really. She was running away from the memories and the person that caused them because it helped her sleep at night.

Her parents had loved him and they had never stopped bombarding her with questions and "advice." Soon, they were added to the list of reason why she never wanted to return to Japan.

He had ruined her life. Her confidence was destroyed because she was always reminded that she was a woman, a less individual than he. She had to build up her self-esteem all on her own when she moved overseas. Her relationship with her parents was destroyed because they both thought she was a fool for leaving him. Her relationships with her friends wore thin because of their distance. Her lifestyle was destroyed. She would never be able to wake up again and do the things she had always done. She had to alter her entire life just because of him.

In a way, it was completely her fault. It was her fault that she couldn't accept her place as a female. She couldn't take her role as the wife, below the husband. Her mother had always told her that she had been too opinionated and pig-headed for her own good sometimes. If she had been a normal woman, then she would have never found a happier life than with Kuranoske. He wanted to be her protector, her husband. He wanted to make her life easier, but he didn't seem to want to give her what she truly wanted.

All she had wanted to do was be there for him too. She just wanted him to come to her with his troubles and his worries. She wanted _him_ to cry on _her_ shoulder for once. It was foolish, she realized in hindsight, to ask a Japanese man to ever count on his wife for anything. They were people of tradition. The roles each gender played never changed.

She once thought that maybe she was one of those people who was just trapped in the wrong body, that she was really a boy who unfortunately was born as a girl. However, she later realized that it was nothing like that. She knew she was always meant to be a female but she was meant to be strong too. It seemed unnatural for her to be obedient, submissive. A Japanese woman lived a life of servitude to her husband. She had no life of her own. That was something Sango never wanted. All she had ever wanted was the chance to be just as important to her husband as he was to her. She had never been given that chance, though.

It took her until this point to realize that she was crying. Tears were streaming down her face and her nose was already runny. She swiftly wiped her face on the soft material covering the massage table that she laid on and sniffed discreetly to clear her sinuses.

It wasn't long before they finished their massage and they got off the tables and donned their health spa robes (you know, the ones that you always want to steal but would feel really bad actually stealing).

When she and Kagome left the massage therapy room, feeling exceptionally refreshed, they were greeted by another health resort worker who led them to another area where he told them they would receive their facials. She now realized how foolish it had been wasting any time putting on make up that morning.

Just like the massage, the facial made Sango feel more relaxed and at ease than she ever imagined was possible. Plus, she'd never felt so clean before. It was like the facial was stripping away years of filth that had buried itself in her skin.

When they were escorted to the waxing rooms, Sango's panic alarm went off in her head. Wasn't the bikini wax renowned for the _pain_? Here she was about to get the hair ripped from her bikini area and she couldn't help but be anxious.

A loud scream burst from Sango's waxing room as the first strip was torn from her skin. In the next room, she could hear loud laughter erupting from Kagome, which was then followed by a matching scream. Sango gave a loud, bitter laugh so mock Kagome and then she felt the hot wax being applied again. This time, she grit her teeth and just groaned (which took an extraordinary amount of self control).

At least waxing her legs wasn't nearly as painful.

Finally, they made it to their last little activity. There was a large room in the spa that looked something like a salon where women were getting their nails done. Kagome and Sango sat down at adjacent tables and relaxed as two women from across the tables trimmed, buffed, and painted their nails. They gossiped and complained and laughed as their manicurists went to work. Sango was sure that Kagome's was having a particularly hard time because Kagome tended to move around and squirm too much. She was one of those people who had a hard time talking without using her hands.

"If I had a hell of a lot of money, then I would do this all the time," Kagome said as she admired her completed right hand. She waved it in the air to help the polish dry.

"Seriously," agreed Sango. "I feel like I need to do this more often."

Going to a spa awakened the feminine side in Sango. The moment they finished, she regretted dressing so poorly and felt as if the clothes she had worn there didn't do her newly-cultivated beauty justice. She wanted to get dressed up in a flashy outfit and go out just to let people admire her. She wanted to go out and watch the boys turn their heads as she walked by. Even more so, she wanted to turn them all down and refuse all of their proposals. In a sense, she wanted to be a tease. There was something so empowering to Sango about telling a guy no. It was as if she was asserting her own independence, showing that she didn't need a man.

She even wanted to go back to the house looking absolutely stunning just to let Miroku see. He would stare in disbelief and compliment her. Then he wouldn't be able to resist anymore and he would try to kiss her. At the last moment, she would push him away and tell him that she didn't want him to touch her.

It was nice to act like girl occasionally. However, she wasn't sure which she liked being more: the girly girl or the ice princess.

* * *

In the serene silence of Sango's bedroom, Miroku heard the familiar chime of his cell phone and flipped it open before the first ring finished. He had always been particular about answering it quickly.

"Yeah?" he answered brusquely.

"Miroku!" said the voice on the other end. Miroku let a small smile creep across his lips.

"Hachi," he said knowingly. "Have you come to check on me?"

"What? No! I have full confidence in you, Miroku! I just…well, yes, actually," said Hachi, a little embarrassed. "It's been a week since I've heard from you. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is… fine," said Miroku a little hesitantly. As he spoke, he went to the door and make sure it was securely shut. When he made sure it was closed properly, he settled at the edge of the bed. He turned his head to the side and audibly cracked his neck, and then he switched to do the opposite side. "Things aren't going _exactly_ as planned but nothing bad has happened."

"What does that mean, Miroku sir?" Hachi's tone was anxious and unsure. As much as he trusted his friend, he had to wonder if Miroku was really working for the company's best interest. And as Miroku's manager, Hachi had to take the heat if Miroku screwed up.

"It's complicated. Sango isn't exactly the person I expected to be dealing with. Since the moment I got here, she's treated me differently from the way the other women have and, to be completely honest, it's frustrating sometimes."

"Is she worse than the others? What has she tried to do?"

"Maul me." His dry tone hinted at his irritation.

"Eep!" Hachi's gasped, then he gave a nervous laugh. "I see what you mean now. It seems she has something of a foul temper then, hm?"

"God, yes. She's can be the bitchiest woman I've ever had to work with. I'm not used to having to work so hard for a client's approval. All of the other women were fawned over me and Sango berates me at every turn. Everything I do is wrong when I'm around her. She's never satisfied with anything, that anal perfectionist!"

"You've got your work cut out for you. It seems your charm and appeal may have failed you this time."

Miroku started to unbutton his shirt carefully as he pinned the phone between his shoulder and his cheek. He sighed at Hachi's comment.

"No. It hasn't failed me. I think it's just worked a little too well this time," he said biting his lip.

"Oh, no! Do you think she…?" His friend sounded gravely serious.

"I don't know. She's a difficult woman to read. She keeps herself very guarded and I'm still having trouble getting her to just be comfortable around me when we're alone. She's always so on edge."

"Then why are you worrying that she might be in love with you?" Hachi said in an almost relieved voice.

Miroku's hand faltered at those words. His fingered slipped from the buttons on his shirt and his eyes went wide. He took just a moment too long before answering.

"As I said, it's complicated," came Miroku's rushed reply. "Sango is one of those females who I never though I'd have this problem with. She's as cold and as cruel as a blizzard sometimes, and there are other moments when she's just the small and fragile, wilting rose, where the slightest brush might break her. Truthfully, I don't know how to deal with her."

"It's not like it's your job to fix her! All you're being paid to do is go along with her charade. In five days when this is all over, it won't matter whether or not she still has a chip on her shoulder because you'll be gone and she'll be out of your life forever. That should be a comforting thought. You just have to put up with her for a few more days and then you're done."

"That's true." He told himself over and over that it really was better that way, that he wanted it that way.

"Besides, you're a professional at this. At least we know that even if she does start to fall for you, you won't fall for her. We just need to keep to the plan."

"Yeah," he confirmed. "The plan."

For the sake of his own job and for the entire Welling's Escort Company, he had to make this work. He had to go through with the initial idea and get it over with because otherwise, Miroku wasn't sure how he would survive. Besides, it was not as if he was attached to Sango. For from it, he assured himself. She was rough and blunt and a little bit domineering at times. She was bossy and harsh and confusing, and who wanted to deal with that? She was the very opposite of an ideal woman. Sure she was beautiful, but Miroku had met much more appealing women in his line of business. Yes, she was intelligent, but so much so that she thought she was always right. Maybe she was strong-willed, but she was wickedly stubborn and had the tendency to argue and bicker over the most unimportant things (or so it seemed to him).

He had nothing to desire in a woman like that. Besides, money was his first and only love. He didn't need another person to make him happy. In a sense, he and Sango were two peas in a pod. While she might not have finances as her number one priority, he knew that independence was something they both held dear. They didn't need each other. They didn't want each other. They were both using each other for their own selfish purposes and one could not criticize the other, for they were in exactly the same boat.

They were so exactly the same and yet so opposite. Miroku was the deceptive night and Sango was the harsh day, both unforgiving and merciless.

Miroku's stomach churned slightly at the idea of what would happen once this was all over.

* * *

Author's Note: Crap of craps, that took freaking forever!!!!! I really feel terrible about it, like I've deprived you all of something. Let me tell you people, I've had a lot on my plate besides the death-sized attack of writer's block. I won't go into excruciating detail but I got a temporary reprieve. Besides, I have a month off from work because my restaurant in getting totally remodeled. This means WAY more time for LIAL!!! Hey, has been a little whacked out with its alerts. Anyone interested in joining an official **_Love is a Lie mailing list_**?

**Demon Exterminator Barbie**: Me too! I'm sixteen. :D Yeah, I had a guy like that once. We had a very complicated sort of relationship. :S Ah, but first love is the best and the worst.

**Kaoli water goddess**: Yeah, has been slow with the alerts. I'm thinking of starting a mailing list if people want me to.

**anime09 + chibi-sango16 + peaches + Newbie GK**: Good fanfics are so ridiculously hard to find. overly dramatic sigh I've spent hours sifting through loads of boring fics just to find those few little gems. I'm so glad to hear that people think mine is one worth the time. : ) Seriously, you guys. You make my day when you tell me how much you love my fanfiction.

**Pegelia Von Borrador**: … Omg, I never actually realized how completely "extreme" she was being towards Kuranoske. Whoa! Thank you, actually. It's nice to get constructive criticism. But I've already come up with a reason why she acted that way. Muahaha, semi-cliff hangers. lol.

**RedRogue**: Because I'm an extremely amateur writer, I tend to change the direction of the story on a whim. That's what happened when Kuranoske came into the picture. I'm not sure how much control I have over my own idea anymore. I think I sort of let the story run wild, but this new development has opened up so many more things that I can put in this fic. There'll be so much more drama, so much more depth, and so much more personality in each of the characters. The finished product looks good in my mind. Let's see if I can make it look good in actuality.

**xxX POISON Xxx**: I don't do well if I leave a chapter then come back later. My mood usually changes and then I lose my thought process that I had when first writing it. Then things don't flow at all. Because of this, I always have to write in chronological order too. Maybe that's why I have such a hard time finishing chapters. lol.

**erica**: Don't ever think that you're just "another reviewer." I take every review to heart and they're all important to me. In fact, your review was the one that actually made me shake off my lethargy to finish this chapter. I loved that you called it an addiction. :D Here's your monthly supply of crack to support that addiction of yours. Though you'll probably be finished in a day. lol:P

_I'm sorry if I didn't reply to your review, but you guys have no idea how much I treasure all your reviews. Seriously, I love you all_.

**BONUS OUTTAKE!! **

_I feel bad about taking so long to update, so I thought I'd release this outtake early. It's outtake number 1, for chapter 4 – Schooling Sango. Since writing this story, I started researching how body language can express a relationship (because Miroku is so big on body language). There was some interesting stuff in there that I never got to incorporate in the earlier chapters where it might have fit a little better. Some of this was cut out because I thought that the relationship was progressing a little too quickly. Thus, we have this outtake._

Miroku brought his hand up to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully as he gave Sango a hard stare. Sango raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms, both because it blocked the view of her breasts and it made her look impatient and inquisitive. She leaned on one leg to complete her look. Miroku let his hand fall to rest on his hip and he rolled his eyes.

"I have my work cut out for me," he said flatly. With a quick, icy look, Sango asked what he meant by that statement. He rubbed his temples in exasperation and explained, "A play with one good actor doesn't make it a believable play. All the actors involved have to know what they're doing. And you, my dear, don't have a clue."

"Why does it matter? It's your job, not mine."

"Au contraire, my dear. It is more yours than mine. Since this is your personal issue and your personal lie, then it is mostly definitely requires more of your acting than even mine. I'm just a prop on the stage while you have to convince your entire audience that this prop means the world to you."

"Well then, oh grand master," Sango spat mockingly, "teach me how to play my part."

"Did you know that the essence of love is unity? Sameness?"

"I had no idea." Her dry, sarcastic tone was laced with contempt. He was treating her like a moron. Of _course_ she knew this.

"A happy couple in love tends to automatically copy each other in everything they do. They know each other so well that they unconsciously latch onto certain mannerisms as their own. We, however, appear as we are; that we don't know each other at all."

"What are we supposed to do? Match our clothes? I don't want to seem like we're trying too hard."

"No, but it would help if we got some basics down. How believable do you want this to be?"

"Well I don't want my mother sending out wedding invitations but I want them to think it's legitimate."

"Alright, then! Easily done. There are three major things to cover when dealing with body language, which is obviously the area that needs the most work. The hug, the kiss, and the eye contact."

He reached his hand across the seemingly vast distance between them and pulled on Sango's wrist until she stood closer.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed. She tugged at her wrist and bid him to release her.

"You can't hug when you're ten feet away," Miroku said humorously. He gently pressed her body to his and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

Sango could have burst a blood vessel with how hard she was clenching her entire body. She stood very statuesquely against Miroku with a look of surprise mixed with disgust on her face and it took all of her self control not to move or freak out.

Yet, at the same time, there was a sense of comfort about it. It was like Miroku's body was magnetically keeping her close to him. It just felt right, being this close. She could feel the faint body heart radiating off him and wrapping around her like a blanket. His arms enfolded her body tenderly and if she hadn't nearly gone into shock, then she might have enjoyed it.

For a few moments, no one moved or spoke or made any sort of signal that they were still alive. For all Miroku knew, Sango could have died of the heart-attack he probably gave her. When Miroku finally released Sango, she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding all along. While Sango was suddenly put at ease, Miroku just seemed to be more anxious.

"This is impossible," he said hopelessly. "You can't even manage a hug, the most basic of affectionate gestures."

"Well excuse me if I'm not leaping into your arms, but I'm just not so great at this sort of thing! I haven't even hugged someone in… well, years." Sango's tone slowly shifted from sharp to ashamed. She all of a sudden felt embarrassed for being so uncomfortable. Miroku let out a sorrowful moan and rubbed his eyes.

"We have to get this down, Sango," he insisted wearily. "It won't be enough to just say that we're together. Actions speak louder than words."

She knew he was right. She was sure that he knew what he was talking about, but something in her refused to obey. Something automatically triggered in her brain that shut down her ability to relax for even a moment because he was in the room, threatening her sanity with his ideas of physical oneness.

Physical oneness… it seemed like such a forgotten concept.

Impatiently, Miroku took action again.

"Let's try this again," he said in a forced manner. It seems he was enjoying this as little as she was.

"_I'll at least try just to get this over with_," she reasoned dejectedly. This time, when Miroku brought her close to him for a hug, she tried to unwind her taught muscle for a moment. With extraordinary effort, she even lifted her hands and placed them lightly in the middle of his back.

"You're still very tense," he reprimanded, like he had told her a thousand times to loosen her body up. "Let's try a different position."

Without asking her permission, he spun her around and held her to him from behind with his hands resting right over her bellybutton. She still unconsciously refused to unwind so he gave another one of his exasperated sighs and mumbled something about her not being teachable. Bringing his hands up to her shoulders, he massaged them pleasantly and Sango couldn't help but feel each and every muscle loosen up. His hands traveled from her shoulders to her neck as he rubbed the thick muscles on the back of her neck. Then very slowly, they moved down her back, kneading her flesh until she could feel herself turning into pudding under his hands.

This was strange and obviously awkward. The feeling of another person's hands down her back was something from so long ago, it almost felt foreign. It brought on the mixed feelings of nostalgia and nausea. Those memories both beautiful and painful never seemed to leave her alone.

"One more time." He sounded a little testy.

This time when he turned her around to face him and then pulled her in close, she laid her cheek against his chest as they both slowly started to mold into each other's bodies.

"Finally!" he said jokingly. And then the moment was dead. Sango frowned and pushed him away from her defensively.

"Next," she said edgily.

Miroku quickly went back to business. He cleared his throat.

"Eye contact," he said. "You never seen to look me in the eye, and when you do you grimace."

"I do not!" exclaimed Sango, being slightly affronted.

"Well, then this part shouldn't be hard at all. Look me in the eye and smile at me," commanded Miroku. With a roll of her eyes, Sango obeyed.

With her hands on her hips, she stared straight in his violet eyes and gave a smile. It wasn't a very good smile. It sort of looked like the one that she had given to thousands of business customers. Miroku sighed again.

"Come on, Sango! We've been dating for six months! Make me believe that you're happy to see me." He leaned in closer to her and their foreheads almost touched. Instead of a loving look, all Sango could manage was a glare.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," she growled.

"We're not going to get anywhere if you keep resisting. Stop acting childish. We're both professionals. And since you've become so accustomed to lying over the past half a year, this should be a simple task. Now, look at me and give me a smile like you want to see me."

Sango closed her eyes and slowly took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, she gave Miroku a small, almost shy smile.

"Good," he said with a genuine smile of his own. "Lastly, we have to get down the kissing."

"Oh, HELL no," said Sango firmly. "There's no way."

"All I ask is that you get used to kissing me. Make it look natural."

"_That's simple,"_ Sango told herself mentally. She lifted herself up on her toes and quickly pecked Miroku on the lips. Of course, that was followed with a shudder.

"Well, at least that was natural. But that felt like a peck from my sister. Give me a kiss that a lover would give," he said, sounding an awful lot like a director or an acting coach. Essentially, that's what he was, though.

She tried again, but it was exactly like the first.

"That was pathetic, Sango! We kiss, we hug, we love each other. Kiss me like you _believe it_!!"

Anger boiled up inside her now. Nothing she was doing was enough and she was getting sick of being told she wasn't good enough. Not a second after he finished did Sango grab Miroku by the face and mash her lips to his. For a brief moment, something like passion was set ablaze but it was smothered before it could truly catch fire. She threw Miroku away from her and wiped her mouth, then looked at him expectantly with one eyebrow raised.

"Very good," he said with an unfazed smile on his lips. Sango almost smiled too when she spied the smudges of lipstick on his mouth. Seeming to know what she was thinking, he wiped his mouth off well. "That's enough for now."

_Please review!!_


	10. A Coward

Author's Notes: So I haven't updated since February, I think. Yet every couple of weeks, I would get alerts telling me people had favorited it or put it on aler. And it sort of strikes me as awesome that it's not like it's floating around the first page of newly updated fics and yet people still find it and read it.

So here's a new chapter FINALLY. Thank you to everyone who's been here from the beginning and is still rooting for me to finish this. And thank you to those of you who found it when it was sort of on hiatus. I think you guys are all _awesome_. (PS – blame bandfiction for the long delay. It sucks you in like whoa.) Forgive the shortness of this chapter. The way the scenes are separated, you got a little gypped this time. But the next will be longer.

* * *

Sango loved Kagome so, so much because Sango didn't have to say so, but Kagome just knew things most of the time.

They ended up at Mina's, a gorgeous little boutique a couple of minutes away from the spa, where Kagome had announced that they needed some "hot chick clothes."

"I always feel like I should be dressed like a movie star after I come out of spas. Or like I should be getting ready to go to the prom," Kagome chattered as they walked up to the store.

"Me too. I feel like it's all sort of gone to waste, otherwise," Sango concurred. "But, even if we got the clothes, what would we do with them then? All dressed up and nowhere to go…"

Kagome stopped right in front of the door and slapped Sango on the shoulder, her face brightening as she said, "I know! Let's go on a double date with Miroku and Inuyasha!"

Sango was torn between grimacing and blushing. "Yeah. A… double date. Great."

"Ooh! Eri and I found this great place to go dancing! We should all go to dinner and then hit the dance floor. Sound like fun?" Kagome said, practically flailing with excitement.

Sango laughed and said, "A club doesn't sound like my scene, exactly. I think I'm a little too old to be hanging around kids who just want to get drunk underage."

"Not like nightclub. It's more… classy than that. Just trust me on this one." Kagome put up a hand like it was meant to reassure Sango, and oddly enough, Sango trusted it.

"Alright then. Let's search for some 'hot chick clothes' now," Sango said with air quotes and they both giggled as they pushed open the boutique door. The bell overhead chimed and the woman standing next to the register looked up and gave a warm smile.

"Welcome, ladies. Can I help you find anything?"

Kagome smiled back just as pleasantly and said, "We're looking for some nice dresses to go dancing in."

The woman looked them both up and down, then she said, "I have just the thing for you two."

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, they exited the store with identical sunflower-yellow bags in hand. Sango looked back up at the sign and tried to make a mental note to visit one more time before she left for the states again.

Kagome got her attention when she said, "Come back to my house and we can get ready."

Sango gave her a look and said, "Kagome, it's barely 3:30 in the afternoon. Don't you think it's a little early to be doing that."

"No, no. Because it'll take us a good three hours to convince Inuyasha to do this," she said with a playful roll of her eyes. Sango gave her a knowing grin. "That man is so stubborn I can hardly stand it sometimes. Is Miroku like that?"

"No," Sango said, shaking her head. "He's much more… he's different. Not stubborn, but stable in his decisions."

"How admirable," Kagome said a little dreamily. "He handles things like a real man."

"_That's the only thing he handles like a man, the little creep_," Sango wanted to say, but she stopped herself. The words never left her mouth, but rolled around on her tongue and left a bad taste in its wake. When had Sango become so nasty to people?

They walked in silence to Sango's car and hopped inside. The sound of seatbelts being buckled clicked loudly in the stale silence.

"To the Higurashi shrine!" Kagome called as she pointed a finger high in the air, like she was kicking off the beginning of an adventure.

Every moment she was with Kagome, Sango was reminded how much she missed having the girl around.

* * *

Kagome hadn't been kidding about taking a ridiculously long time to convince Inuyasha. When Kagome had called him, she sat at the phone for almost forty minutes on the verge of arguing with him. Finally, Inuyasha had mumbled his agreement.

Sango slipped into the living room while Kagome talked in the kitchen. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and flipped it open to call Miroku. He picked up on the first ring.

"Sango?"

"Hey, Miroku. Go take a shower and pretty yourself up. You, me, Kagome, and Inuyasha and all going out to eat downtown and then heading out to go dancing. Kagome's idea. We'll stop by the house to pick you up around six."

Mirokue scoffed, "You make it sound like I'm the girl here. 'We'll pick you up around six!' You better bring me flowers and open the door for me, otherwise I might just not call you next week."

"I'll see you at six, Miroku."

And she hung up. Still, when she thumbed off her cell phone, she let herself smile at his joke. _'Ok, so it was sort of funny.'_

"I see that, Sango!" Kagome called, peeking around the corner. Sango blushed and waved a hand.

"What?"

"You just cracked a smile! There's hope for you yet," Kagome said triumphantly.

"I'm not sure I like what you're implying," Sango muttered from the corner of her mouth.

Kagome came into the living room where Sango was sitting and plopped down on the sofa. Sango came and joined her.

"Just saying you've been a little tense ever since you came. Are you feeling ok? Are you and Miroku doing alright?" Kagome asked, interested but not pressing.

Sango jerked her head from side to side quickly, almost conspicuously. "No, no, Miroku and I are doing great. It's just… it's been stressful coming back home after so long. Not knowing how I should act or how to treat people now."

"That's got to be weird. Especially since people like Kohaku are older and more mature now. How are you and your parents getting along?" Kagome said, tucking her feet under herself on the couch.

"Mom and Dad are actually being tolerable. Every once in a while they do something a little ridiculous or embarrassing, but it hasn't been remarkably bad. Dad's been acting just a little bit strange, though," Sango admitted.

Kagome ran her fingers through her hair and asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's like my mom domesticated him or something," Sango laughed. "When I first got back, he was cooking in the kitchen. And he's been trying to hard to be polite."

"That's so cute, though," Kagome cooed, clasping her hands together. "He's trying to be nice and hospitable."

"I guess. I don't know. It makes me a little suspicious. Like he's trying to get me to warm up to him so he can have something. I just don't know what," Sango said, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to work it out on her head. What could her father possibly want from her?

"Or maybe he's just trying to get you to warm up to him in general. Like, improve your relationship," suggested Kagome.

Sango tossed back her head and gave a short, barking laugh. "Why would he bother to do that?"

"Mm, I'm not sure. But people do weird things when they get older. They start thinking about things, realizing how little time they have left to live."

Sango's face went pale and her stomach dropped. Just the thought of her parents and how close they were to dying made her terribly uneasy. However, Kagome had a point; her parents were progressing in years and it inevitable that they would start thinking about their relationships, how to make the best of them. Maybe they were trying to spend time with Sango while they still _had_ time.

Kagome gasped and said, "I'm sorry! That was really insensitive. I didn't mean it like that."

Sango waved her off and said, "No, I know. It's just that… maybe I hadn't really noticed how old everyone's gotten. Maybe every time I come back to Japan, I expect things to be exactly how I left them. They never are, though, and it makes it feel less like home. Less like I belong here with all these changes and all these people who I used to know."

Sango drew her knees up under her chin like she used to do when she was younger, and she sighed deeply. Kagome nodded and hummed in agreement. Then she looked at Sango with a far-off, dazed look in her eye, almost as if she wasn't looking at Sango at all. She smiled briefly, a little sad.

She said, "I wish you had never left."

Sango suddenly felt her chest become taught, like the air around her was crushing her, trapping her. She looked up at Kagome, a little startled. The way Kagome had spoken—so soft and sincere. Like this was something she'd wanted to say for a long time but never felt she should. It was a blow so delicate that it practically knocked the wind out of Sango.

"I missed you so much," Kagome whispered. When Sango looked closer, she could see the tears forming in the corners of Kagome's eyes.

"Oh, Kagome."

Without a moment's thought, Sango sprang forward and threw her arms around Kagome's neck. As Kagome buried her face in Sango's shoulder, she shuddered and clung to the back of Sango's shirt.

"Why did you leave? Why did you leave me?" Kagome murmured into fabric. "You said you'd only be gone for a year and then you just didn't come back for so long."

Sango could feel her throat closing around her words. "I didn't leave you. It was never because of you. I missed you every day that I was gone."

"Why did you stay away for so long?" whimpered Kagome, her voice hitching and breaking. Sango could feel her friend's tears bleeding through her shirt and onto her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to get over her overwhelming guilt enough to speak. But she really had practically abandoned Kagome. It was undeniable.

"Because I'm a coward. I didn't want to face my problems. So I flew thousands of miles away hoping they'd stay back here in Tokyo and just dissolve. But they never went away. I'm so sorry," Sango whispered, stroking Kagome's hair and closing her eyes to hold back her own tears.

Kagome didn't try to hide her own. She cried as she mumbled, "I needed you here for so many things. I wish you had been here. There was so much I wish I could have talked to you about, so many things I wish you could have been with me for. But you were in the States the whole time. The phone calls were so expensive and you never answered my emails and—"

"I know, I know. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry that I did that to you. I didn't mean to be gone so long. I wish I could have been there for all those times too," Sango said, feeling the tears dripping down her face and onto Kagome's shoulder in dark circles. "I'm such an awful person, and what I did was wrong. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to leave you."

Kagome screwed her eyes shut and sobbed quietly into Sango's shoulder, her fingers still digging into the material on Sango's back. Sango petted her hair soothingly, whispering promises and apologies. Her own eyes streamed with tears.

What had she done? What a selfish fool she had been for leaving. She had left to get away from everything in Tokyo, but she'd left all the good things about it along with the bad. Her friends and her brother and her memories. Everything. She sacrificed them all just so she wouldn't have to be reminded of Kuranoske. How spineless. How cold-hearted.

Why had she never stopped to think about Kagome or Inuyasha during all this? Why hadn't their feelings been the first things that came to mind? She felt like the worse sort of person for this. Here was Kagome, the brightest and cheeriest person Sango knew, leaning into her and crying about Sango deserting her. Kagome didn't deserve to be treated like this. The poor girl was too good for someone like Sango. And Sango had no idea how she managed to go years without Kagome. She tried to imagine how she managed to get through her days without Kagome to cheer her up and reassure her.

The more Sango thought about it, the darker her days in America seemed. They felt cold and grey and sullen, like a winter's day, except she had never prayed for the sun to come out. She had stayed inside with the doors locked and windows shut to wallow in her fear and self-pity. The sun was shining right outside, but Sango hadn't wanted to leave her dark corner for fear that someone might make her do the hard thing: get over Kuranoske.

This was what she got. A friend so broken by her absence that Sango felt she'd never be able to make it up to her. A family who she didn't know how to act around, how to talk to. For what? A few years away from her ex-fiancé? What had it solved? What had it changed for the better?

"I love you, Kagome," Sango whispered through quivering breaths. "I've been a terrible friend and I would do anything to go back and change things. Please, please, please forgive me."

"I'll always forgive you, Sango. I love you too. Please don't leave me like that again."

"I won't, I won't. I promise I won't," Sango said immidiately, mashing her nose into Kagome's hair. She still used the same shampoo that she did in highschool and the familiarity was incredibly comforting.

Kagome hugged her a little harder for a moment and then let go. When they parted and looked at one another, both rubbing under their eyes and noses to remove the tear stains, they chuckled at the sight of each other.

"I think we should go wash our faces before we try to start getting ready," suggested Kagome.

"Good idea," said Sango.

* * *

_Please review!_


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